The Bride Swap
by titaniasfics
Summary: Peeta stands to inherit the bakery, but his mother won't sign the papers until he is officially engaged to a proper Merchant class girl. So Katniss enlists the help of her best friends Madge and Gale, who can just barely stand each other, to fake date and go on double dates so they can be together. Written for the Everlark Fic Exchange (tumblr). Banner by akai-echo!
1. The Predicament

**Just a note on the setting - this is definitely Panem AU. I don't refer to the Reaping, The Hunger Games, Snow's rule - none of it. So the living conditions will be milder than in a canon story.**

 **Many thanks to** **akai-echo** **and** **thegirlfromoverthepond** **for their constant support. I'm lucky to have such great friends!**

 **Part 1 - The Predicament**

Katniss heard him long before she actually saw him.

The crunching leaves and snapping branches as he walked could literally be heard echoing through the forest for miles around. Just from the sound alone, Katniss knew something was on his mind. She picked up speed, no longer able to enjoy the early spring sunshine or the crisp morning air as her concern for him continued to grow. She'd been going down this path to meet with Peeta for so long, her legs carried her almost automatically to the small house in the woods, on the edge of the lake where she once swam with her father.

When she arrived, she caught sight of Peeta, hands tugging his hair, staring down at the ground, pacing compulsively as if he were determined to squash every single twig and stone down into the hard earth. When Katniss burst out from the path, he stopped pacing and hurried towards her, scooping her up into his arms for a kiss before she could even say "Good morning,"

Katniss stiffened from the shock but relaxed just as quickly, melting into the familiarity of his warmth and steadiness. His mouth was unbelievably soft - she'd never get used to how kissable his lips were. He stole her breath away and the preoccupation of only a few moments ago was forgotten as he suddenly broke away, leaving her dazed and unsteady. He tugged her to the door of the tiny cabin that had become like a second home to them, the only place in all of Panem where they could be who they were truly were without fear or consequence.

They burst through the door, which Peeta promptly shut and locked, and proceeded to tear at each other, clawing their clothes from each other's bodies. It had been a three days since Katniss had last been with Peeta and, in the interval of time between their meetings, she missed him in an aching, physical way. Pressing her naked skin up against his, the way they were now, their clothes strewn in a haphazard disarray on the floor, only served to make her more feverish with want.

Peeta backed Katniss to the bed in the corner of the one-room edifice as she latched on to tender skin of his shoulders, kissing and biting her way up his neck. She felt the vibration of a tiny grunt as he pushed her onto the bed. He kissed her, furiously, with a hint of desperation that sent a stab of worry through her fog of lust and desire but it soon disappeared when he settled between her legs, running his calloused fingers over her already wet core. Sighing with satisfaction he sank into her waiting depths without preamble. Katniss briefly noted his impatience but all rational thought became lost when he moved his hips, rolling them slowly against her, a sweet contrast to his fury of only a few moments ago. She rocked with him, her belly on fire as he drew back and sank into her again, slowly and under control again.

Peeta kissed her as he moved, cupping her cheek as if it were made of thin glass, like the colored panels on display at the glazier's. His sudden shift in mood brought the worry back to Katniss's consciousness and she raised her hand to cover his.

"What is it?" she whispered, sure that his behavior was not just a result of him missing her.

Peeta bit his lip, as if he were on the precipice of revealing his every thought but instead paused, holding it back. "I love you," he said instead.

Before Katniss could get more from him, he'd slipped his hand from her hold and dragged it between them, searching for that bundle of nerves from which all of her pleasure radiated. With sure fingers, he swept over her, pressing as he kissed her, winding her body into a tight spring of feeling. He slid in and out of her again and the explosion of sensation from his fingers and his cock brought Katniss rapidly to her peak. He moved his hips quickly now, snapping and reaching as she fell apart around him, the waves of intensity swirling outwards from where they were joined. Katniss cried out his name as the powerful shock of pleasure ripped through her. She wanted to laugh, cry, and scream, all at the same.

Peeta followed soon behind her, shuddering with his release. He collapsed, breathing wildly, his skin damp as he dropped his head onto her shoulder, seeking control of himself again. Katniss loved this part, the part where he was too weak to move, too overcome to keep his body from pressing heavily down onto hers. He collapsed from the excess of too much... _everything_. His abandon lasted just long enough to almost render his weight unbearable before he shifted onto his back, pulling her into the spot that was reserved solely for her, in the crook of his arm.

After a few moments, when she was sure he'd come back to himself, she turned her head up to look at him. "What was that all about?"

Peeta sighed heavily, rubbing his face with his hand as if to wipe away whatever was troubling him. Katniss shifted, bringing herself to rest on her elbow to look down on his. A lock of his ashy-blond hair clung to his forehead, which she swept away with a careful movement of her fingers. "Tell me," she pressed, seeing his boyish features change, his preoccupations crinkling the smattering of freckles on his nose, deepening the lines around his brilliant, blue eyes.

"Mom," he said, as if that explained everything which, knowing Mrs. Mellark, really did.

"What did she do now?" Katniss asked, her eyes narrowing involuntarily.

"You know," he said, suddenly slamming his fist down on the mattress. "It's already bad enough that I have to sneak around to see you, as if we were common criminals because of her. No, she has to hold the bakery over my head to get me to do what she wants!" he exclaimed, his anger causing his skin to flush.

"Wait...slow down. I don't understand," she said.

"When dad died, he gave me the bakery. It's written in the will. You would think that would be enough to keep her from being all...megalomaniacal about it!" He sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and Katniss knew the pacing would start again. "The problem is, he didn't specify when or under what circumstances I would inherit the business so, technically, she could hold on to the bakery until the day she dies. She could ask me to leave until she is forced...by mortality, to ceed ownership to me. She could even sell it while it is still hers and that would be the end of my claim."

"Peeta, you're not making any sense," Katniss sat up, pulling the quilt of the bed over her as Peeta paced the small cabin, as naked as the day he was put on this earth. Katniss derived an infinite amount of pleasure from just watching his body move but scolded herself to keep from being distracted from what he was trying to say.

"Mom won't sign the bakery over to me like she promised she would. She said the only way she will hand over ownership is if I marry a Merchant girl," Peeta tugged at his hair again, making them all stand on end.

"Just stall her. I mean, maybe she'll change her mind...with time. She's not planning on working until the day she...you know…" Katniss sputtered, not sure what to say to him.

"Katniss," he said, sitting at the edge of the mattress, and taking her hand in his. "Even though we don't show it in public, she knows the way I feel about you. She doesn't approve of us - she'd just as soon toss me out on the street as see me married to you…"

"I know…" she said in a small voice. "She hates me…"

"It's not just you. She hates anybody from the Seam. It just so happens she hates you particularly a lot," Peeta joked weakly. "But I can't marry you until I know the bakery is mine and I can take care of you, of us..."

"You know, I don't care about any of that.." she protested. This was an old argument between them.

"Yeah, I know you don't, but I do. I want you to have a good life, Katniss. You've earned it. And dammit, that's my father's family bakery! She's threatening to sell it off if I don't do what she wants. I can't let the bakery, which has been in our family for generations, just get sold off like that! I can't do it!"

"She'd do that?" she asked, knowing full well that there was no end to Mrs. Mellark's cruelty. "Would she really just sell it?"

"Yes, she would! What does she care about the Mellark family? As far as she's concerned, she doesn't have to worry about it anymore now that Dad's gone."

Katniss stood also as all the pieces of their conversation began to fall into place. She felt a fist of ice close over her heart. "So, what are you saying? You're going to go find somebody to marry? Is that it?"

"Wha-what? No!" Peeta stopped pacing and gripped Katniss by her arms. "Are you out of your mind? You're the only person I want," he pulled her into him and squeezed her to him, crowding out her sudden terror and replacing it with his presence, his love. "If push comes to shove, I'll let her sell off the bakery and I'll try to open my own business. If I have you, I don't care," he buried his nose in her hair, kissing the crown of her head. "I'll bake bread in the Seam. As long as you don't have to do without."

Katniss held onto him in turn but she knew that losing his father's bakery would be a blow to him, no matter what he said about it. It was more than just having an employment, which clearly mattered to him. It was about keeping his father's bakery in the family and not allowing it to fall into the hands of strangers. Mrs. Mellark knew this and was using this weakness against Peeta to get him to conform to her expectations. His older brothers had left - the middle son had gone to District 4 to work the fisheries while the oldest married the butcher's only daughter, making him the heir to their shop. That left Peeta in Mrs. Mellark's claws and she was clearly making the most of her advantage to control him.

Leaning back, she took in his worried features, his frustration, the clear misery in his eyes. Katniss couldn't stand to see him unhappy. How could his mother even tolerate it?

"Maybe...maybe you should just do what she says…" she said in a small voice. Even saying it was enough to rip her heart open but she was strong. If it was for his own good, she could do this. "Your life will be a lot easier if you don't have to fight her about me every step of the way."

Peeta froze, his face darkening as she spoke until he looked like he would set fire to something. "Don't even say that to me. I'll compromise on everything else. I'll even let the bakery go. But I'm not going anywhere without you."

"Peeta…" she pleaded but he stopped her with his lips, kissing her until she was breathless.

When he pulled back, she was dizzy and felt her legs turn to rubber beneath her. "I don't want to hear it. We'll think of something. But you're it. I don't want anybody else."

"Neither do I," she said as she kissed him again. She didn't know what they were going to do or how they were going to get out of this predicament but she shoved that preoccupation to the back of her mind as he led her back to bed. They'd make love slowly this time and they'd let themselves get lost in it for a few hours, maybe the day, if they could manage it. But the problem would still be there, staring hideously back at them, and Katniss had no idea how they were going to solve it.

 **XXXXX**


	2. The Plan

**Part 2 - The Plan**

The idea came to Katniss a few days later, while she was hunting with her best friend Gale. They'd had an excellent haul and would have much to trade at the Hob that evening. This freed her mind to think a little about Peeta's situation, pondering some solution that would benefit both of them. It hit her so hard, she almost fell off the rock she was perched on.

"What if she only _thinks_ he's engaged to a Merchant girl?" she blurted out, without concern for her hunting partner, who looked at her as if she'd come down with a touch of madness.

"What?" Gale asked.

"Peeta. What if his mother only thinks he's engaged to a Merchant girl? Then she might calm down and sign the papers," she said.

"I don't know, Catnip. She's pretty slick. Peeta would probably have to be dating a girl for a while for her to be convinced that it's legit. And then there's you. She'll be keeping an eye on you to make sure you don't sabotage things. She's already paranoid about you."

Katniss thought about the way Mrs. Mellark watched her like a hawk every time she came to the bakery to trade, even more so now that Peeta's father was no longer alive to curb some of her extreme behaviors. Mr. Mellark had always been a kind man, if something of a doormat when it came to his wife but she'd become even more unbearable after his death. She could definitely see his point.

"She'd have to see that I'm not interested in Peeta. I'm going to have to make it look like I'm into somebody else too," she said, turning her large grey eyes up to look at Gale with the light of expectation. "It has to be someone she legitimately thinks I'd actually go out with, someone credible."

Gale stared out into the woods, his mind clearly at work before he turned his head down to look at her and caught her curious expression. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Come on, Gale! You are the only person I can seriously look like I'm dating and have it be believable. We're always together. It wouldn't be a stretch to think that we could actually be dating."

Gale's eyes went wide as saucers. "Catnip…I got...that might mess, up, you know, things…"

"What things? You don't have anybody right now," Katniss groused.

Gale squirmed uncomfortably. "But...I got people, you know, friends who might think it's serious and all…"

"You mean your little suck-face buddies? It's only until Mrs. Mellark gets off Peeta's back. Then we'll go back to normal, okay? She just needs to think that he wants nothing to do with me." Katniss tilted her head to the side, looking as sweetly as she could at him, which she knew was probably grotesque, since she was not one to be described as sweet. "Please? I'll take care of your snares for a week if you do this for me."

Gale knew her better than anyone and could be count on to support her schemes, no matter how far-fetched, which were thankfully few and far between. He nodded, and said, "Two weeks."

"Two weeks!" Katniss shook her head but she was ready to burst with excitement. "It's a deal!" She jumped up, dusting her pants off. "There's some squirrel in it for you, too."

"Whoa, where are you off to?" Gale asked.

"I'm going to go tell Peeta," she said as she gathered her bow and arrows. "But first I have to find him a girlfriend. This is going to work, you'll see."

"That sounded all kinds of wrong," Gale muttered before clearing his throat. "Wait a second, who did you have in mind for Peeta?"

Katniss paused, cocking her eyebrow and giving him one of her rare smiles. "I'm going to ask Madge to help me."

"Madge? You're going to try to hook Peeta up with Madge?" He said incredulously. "You're going to force your boyfriend to act like he is enjoying Madge's company? Just shoot him with an arrow and put him out of his misery!"

"What's wrong with Madge?" Katniss asked. "She's the perfect Merchant girl. She's the Mayor's daughter. She's pretty, she's sweet so it would be easy for anybody to fall in love with her…"

"Pfft, as if," Gale said with uncharacteristic childishness.

"You don't exactly bring out her best side when you make fun of her dresses or make her feel bad because her dad has a little money! Who wants to be nice to someone who resents their existence?"

"They're over the top! One dress of hers could feed our family for a week!" he retorted, his temper beginning to rise.

"It's not her fault her dad's the Mayor! You keep punishing her for things she can't control. It looks pretty unfair to me."

Gale stared at her for a moment, looking as if he would withdraw from her half-cocked plan. Katniss truly hoped they wouldn't get into an argument over this. She needed him. She couldn't think of anyone else who could help her besides him and Madge. Delly was very close to marrying Thom. Prim was way too young and anyway - sister dating sister's ex equaled gross. Katniss wasn't friends with anyone else. No, it had to be Gale and Madge and he'd have to accept that.

"Are we gonna have to...double date and stuff?" he asked finally.

"You know...occasionally…"

Gale closed his eyes squeezing them shut as if he were in the worst pain. When he opened them again, Katniss stood before him, staring down at him with barely disguised hope and fear. When his lips softened from the thin line he'd pressed them into, Katniss knew she'd won him over.

"Alright. But only because you are my best friend and I know you'll keep a good eye on my snares for three weeks…"

"Three weeks!" Katniss snapped before biting her tongue. It was a small price to pay for the rest of her life. "You're ruthless. Fine! Three weeks. Now, I really have to go." She paused, looking meaningfully at him before she spoke with a voice as gentle as she'd ever used. "You don't know how much this means to me. To both Peeta and I."

"Peeta…" Gale said, a strange expression darkening his features but they soon cleared. "If it makes you happy...you know I'm in."

Katniss smiled at this before turning and making her way to the gate that lead back into the Seam. Gale stared after her, long after she had gone. She missed the sudden flash of sadness and something akin to longing in Gale's face before he schooled his features and finally returned to the business of hunting.

 **XXXXX**

"There's no way. He hates me," Madge exclaimed when Katniss explained her plan to her. They sat next to each other on the bench of Madge's piano - a beautifully carved, cherry wood piece with almost unblemished lacquer that Katniss loved to touch. It seemed the house she shared with her mother and sister in the Seam was all hard angles and old things. But Madge's house was the complete opposite - velvet chairs, thin, gauzy curtains that felt like silk on her skin, the smell of warm food and comfort. Katniss could understand Gale's resentment sometimes but she still felt it was unfair to hold it against Madge.

"Gale doesn't hate you! And anyway, you'll be 'fake-dating' Peeta, not Gale."

Madge shrugged, her lovely blond hair had just recently been curled and bounced like curved beams of sunlight. Katniss had to resist the urge to touch them, wondering if they were as soft as her sister's. But she also didn't want to weird Madge out. "You mean I won't have to spend any time with him at all?"

"Well, there might be some, you know, double-dating and stuff…"

"Double-dating and stuff! And what are Gale and I supposed to be doing while you and Peeta are up to no good on these double-dates?" Madge was nearly breathless with her exasperation and not without reason. Gale never wasted a chance to make her feel like her existence was a capital offense and Katniss totally understood that. Not surprisingly, she was proving harder to convince than Gale.

Katniss was now a deep crimson color. She hadn't quite thought through all the consequences of her plan, nor even what they would all be doing when they were out in that way. "It's only until Mrs. Mellark's signs the papers. Then everything will go back to normal."

Madge sighed heavily, her nose twisted as if there was a sudden odor she could not tolerate. "As long as I don't have to spend an enormous amount of time with Gale, I guess I can help. What does Peeta think of all this?"

Katniss squirmed uncomfortably, her blush deepening with her embarrassment. "I haven't actually told him yet."

"Katniss, if you're playing The Dating Game with him, you might want to tell him first!"

"I know, he was my next stop, okay? I just...I can't speak to him whenever I feel like it! His mother is always around and she can't stand to look at me," she groused moodily. "And I didn't want to raise his expectations if I couldn't make it happen, okay? It's not…" Katniss became visibly emotional, something she never did. Madge scooted closer to her, offering her comfort. "It just...really sucks...to have to sneak around all the time…And if things don't work out, he'll either have to marry someone he doesn't love or worse, he'll get tossed out in the street because of me..."

Madge rubbed her back as Katniss struggled not to cry. "You love him a lot, don't you?" she whispered.

Katniss nodded, unable to speak. She was not one for emotion of any kind, rarely saying those words even to Peeta, though she tried in every possible way to show him that she loved him.

"I don't understand why a person would expend so much energy hating someone. And she's making her own son unhappy in the process! I would think she'd want the best for him," Madge commiserated.

Katniss sniffles, wiping her nose with her sleeve. "Well, in her twisted mind, she is doing what she thinks is best by keeping him away from 'Seam scum' like me," she shook her head. "She doesn't know that I would do everything in my power to make sure he was happy."

"I know," Madge said sadly. "It's just too bad because she's making a whole lot of people unhappy with her prejudice."

They sat for a while longer together, talking about such details as where to go and how to make sure the news of their respective dating situations got out as quickly as possible. But in the end, Katniss knew she'd have to stop by the bakery with the pretense of a trade and arrange to meet Peeta. It would be her last hurdle, at least until the actual acting began, something which terrified Katniss, because she was well-known as the worst liar in the world. And yet so much would depend on how well she could fool Mrs. Mellark.

 **XXXXX**

"You want me to do what?" Peeta burst out when Katniss explained the details of her plan.

"We are _both_ going to do this and we are going to pull this off. I went through a lot to persuade Gale and Madge," she said.

"I don't know. It's kind of risky…" Peeta answered uncertainly. "These things tend to have...unforeseen consequences. And my mother discovers we've been lying to her in such a public way, involving other people - she'd be humiliated by it."

"Point taken." Katniss pushed him back onto the small bed of the cabin and straddled him, stabbing her finger into his bare chest. "But you listen here. You are not going to marry somebody else - " Peeta tried to interrupt her but she wouldn't hear of it. She became more excited with every word she uttered. "No, I'm talking. I've listened to what you had to say. You're not going to get kicked out of your house. You're not going to lose the bakery. And you are not going to let your mother get away with controlling your life..."

"But you _are_ going to poke a hole in my chest," he said, capturing her hand and tugging her down until her skin was flush against him. "I just don't know how we are going to pull off a deception of this scale."

"Oh, because this isn't a massive deception, trying to run around behind your mother's back?" Katniss retorted.

Peeta sighed, playing with her hair absentmindedly, lapsing into silence for some time. Katniss knew him well enough to know that he was thinking through everything and decided it was best not to interrupt him. So she simply rested her head against his chest, even dozing off for a few minutes, simply enjoying his proximity, the regular rhythm of his heart thudding against her ear. She didn't know what she'd do if she didn't have this in her life. Finally, he spoke again.

"So, when's our first date?"

 **XXXXX**


	3. The Complication

**Part 3 - The Complication**

"Watch your step," Gale said gently. Even though they were on easy terrain, Katniss watched Madge stumble at least four times. She wasn't used to being out in the woods, what with the government restrictions about venturing into the woods and all, but Madge didn't complain. She just kept plugging away as they made it to the clearing where they had planned to have their picnic.

Katniss and Peeta walked more easily, positively strolling hand in hand, searching for herbs that they'd occasionally pause to collect. Peeta had gotten so good at foraging that he now easily identified such herbs as rosemary, sage and basil, collecting them to use in his bread or finding basic medicinals that he gave to Katniss to take to her mother.

"Do you want to take a break?" Katniss asked when Madge tripped again.

"N-no," she answered. "I'm clumsy, but I'm not tired," she joked. Gale turned to glance at her, a small smile dancing on his normally brooding lips. He paused so she could catch up and took her arm, steadying her as she walked so that she would not fall again.

"I've never seen you in hiking pants, Madge. The look suits you," Peeta said. Indeed, she was wearing almost manly clothing - a t-shirt with pocketed-pants made for the outdoors, and boots to protect her as she trudged through the underbrush.

"Thanks. I found them in my mother's room. They fit me and she gave me permission to wear them."

Gale glanced down at her, nodding once, then lead her down a natural path until the trees appeared to step back and give way to a large meadow covered in tall grasses and wildflowers. It always took Katniss by surprise how spectacular it appeared to her but seeing Madge's eyes become large as saucers at the sight before her made her love the meadow even more. Peeta squeezed her hand - it wasn't the first time they'd been there together but he was as excited as she was. It looked like something he could paint.

"Did you bring your sketchbook?" Katniss whispered.

Yes," he dropped his voice so only she could hear him "I can' wait to draw you, lying naked, in the middle of all those flowers…"

"Slow down," she hissed, though the idea of it, of being alone with him in those grasses sent a wave of excitement over her. "Our present company might disapprove."

Peeta smiled, his eyes twinkling with humor. "Next time, then. Before the wildflowers disappear."

Katniss shook her head, wondering at where he got the stamina and happy just to try to keep up with him.

They found a spot in the grass and lay out their blankets. Being careful with the insects, they took out their respective offerings - Katniss brought goat cheese, made fresh by her sister from her goat, Lady. In the cube was a vein of crushed herbs and Katniss' mouth watered at the idea of trying her sister's newest innovation. Lady had been yielding a lot of milk lately and Prim was doing well, selling her cheese and butter at the market. This particular experiment with the cheese had been met with great success and was on demand, especially by Merchants who could afford the costlier product.

Peeta produced a large loaf of freshly made bread, which still had a dusting of flour on the crust, filled with nuts and raisins, just the way Katniss liked it. Gale had collected berries and brought the iced tea in a large thermos. But it was Madge who outdid everyone with a selection of thick, dried sausages and cured meats. The aroma of cheese and spices soon filled the air as they each served themselves, taking their fill until they all lolled on the grass, their bellies full and their skin warm from the sun and the hike.

"I think I've discovered perfection…" Katniss said drowsily, still enjoying the flavor of the sausage and cheese, the tart burst of berries, the cool tea and the crusty bread. She hadn't eaten that well in a long while.

Peeta rolled onto his elbow to look down at her. "If there's food involved, you're usually pretty happy,"

"Mmm-hmmm," she moaned in satisfaction. She turned her head slightly to where Madge and Gale were surprisingly deep in conversation.

"What do you think?" Peeta asked, indicating in the same direction as her.

"I don't know," she said quietly. "They were barely civil the first few times we met up but little by little, they seem to be warming up to each other."

Peeta nodded, looking from the couple to her. "There's no reason for them not to. Madge is really sweet and easy to get along with."

"Yeah, and Gale is…" she let the sentence trail off as she searched for a way to describe her friend. "Tall. Dark. And…"

"Ominous?" Peeta suggested, which made Katniss laugh.

"He is that, too, I suppose. But he's good, you know. Good without all the extras. He's not conversational or chatty," She smiled when she said this because he was being exactly that now, even allowing a small smile to cross his face at something Madge said. "He's not charming and doesn't always say the right things, the way you do," she poked Peeta in the nose, which he wrinkled playfully. "But he has a good heart and he's very steady. If a girl can appreciate that, he'll make her happy."

"Hmmm, sounds like your boyfriend's a real catch," Peeta teased, kissing Katniss, leaving her slightly delirious.

When he pulled back, she squeezed her arms around his neck, forcing him back down onto her again. "He is. And I'm not sharing him with anybody" she said before returning the toe-curling kiss. When she pulled back, her eyes became serious.

"What is it?" Peeta asked, his brow furrowed in concern.

"Nothing, really. I just, when things seem great, I'm always terrified something will come along and ruin everything. You know?"

Peeta nodded. "I know. But I have to tell you, my mother has been on cloud nine since we started this. I didn't think it would work but you were right. It is working. I brought it up to her just yesterday, and she seemed to be thinking about it. I don't see any obstacle to her signing off on the bakery. Then, we won't have to hide from anybody any more," Peeta squeezed her tightly. "We'll be free and able to do whatever we want. It's just a matter of time, okay?"

Katniss nodded, hoping desperately that he was right. She glanced over at Madge and Gale, sitting close together, almost shoulder to shoulder. He was showing her something that apparently she found gripping because she couldn't help but stare in amazement. Even if nothing else came out of this, at least she was able to say that Gale and Madge could now get along.

But as she turned her attention to Peeta again, she couldn't help the gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach, the sensation that something was going to happen. Remembering Peeta's words, she pulled him down to her again, and kissed him like she would consume his soul, trying desperately to forget the premonition that was beginning to dog her.

 **XXXXX**

"The Mayor's daughter, no less!" Mrs. Mellark exclaimed several days later from the counter at the bakery. Katniss was almost positive that, for once, Peeta's mother was not raving about her son's girlfriend for Katniss's benefit. As she and Gale lingered at the back entry of the bakery, she could hear the entire conversation taking place at the bakery counter.

"They are a lovely couple," said Mrs. Cartwright. Delly had gotten her solar disposition from her mother, who could speak to a stone if she were without any other company. Because of this quality, she was also one of the few people who was not intimidated by the baker's widow. "How long have they been dating?"

"Oh," Mrs. Mellark twittered happily. "Almost four months now."

Mrs. Cartwright nodded approvingly. "They are both very kind and, where Madge is shy, Peeta is open and friendly. An excellent match!"

"Yes," Mrs. Mellark practically purred. "He had a brief infatuation with a Seam girl before that but, it wasn't very serious. Young people do need to experiment, don't they?"

"You realize that woman will be your mother-in-law if you and Peeta ever figure out a way to get married, right?" Gale said as the woman continued to extol the virtues of her son's romantic situation.

"I'm counting on her being so disgusted, we won't ever see her," Katniss groused, kicking the rocks on the worn step.

"Did I just hear Katniss Everdeen admit that she might get married? How is that?" Gale teased, reminding her of the times in the forest where she'd adamantly sworn up and down that she would never, under any circumstances, get married or have kids.

She didn't answer him, instead scowling at his words, remembering her tirades against the whole institution, thinking of her mother's reaction to her father's death, how she'd nearly disappeared with grief. That was before she'd become involved with Peeta, before she'd learned that love brought more rewards than pain. She finally understood why people tried, why couples kept getting together, why they risked heartbreak to fall in love. Why they were willing to live a thousand lies just to have a few stolen moments together.

She felt Gale's arm around her shoulder and stiffened automatically. Only very few people were allowed to touch her - her mother, Prim, Peeta - so she was momentarily disoriented. She relaxed, however, when she heard Mrs. Mellark move in their direction, her conversation with Mrs. Cartwright clearly at an end. She was grateful for Gale's quick thinking and forced herself to lean into his side.

"Oh, you," said Mrs. Mellark, with as much derision as possible as she beckoned them to step further inside.

Katniss ignored the old, woman, instead letting Gale take the lead on the trading of squirrels for bread. She couldn't help to feel the chill of Mrs. Mellark's gaze on her but it was more appraising than hateful, and of course, Katniss came up lacking. She leaned against the counter, her legs weary from climbing and hiking most of the day but a grating voice cut across her thoughts.

"Please don't...touch that. I don't want to have to bleach down the equipment," Mrs. Mellark snapped at Katniss, who promptly straightened, a flush of embarrassment coloring her cheeks, though the woman's behaviour did not surprise her - Mrs. Mellark was just being herself. A glance at Gale told her he was more offended on her behalf than she was herself and, when the trade was done, he turned without a word, taking Katniss by the arm, and lead her out of that shop.

"If she wasn't the only baker in District 12…" he growled.

"She isn't," she sighed.

"Yeah, well, Peeta wasn't there," Gale complained as they made their way to Madge's house.

"Peeta said he'd be visiting Madge today," she said, trying to feign indifference but knowing that the slight tremor of her voice gave her away.

"Well, that's convenient, isn't it?" Gale teased, throwing his arm around Katniss again, which she almost shrugged off. "Come on, babe!" He chuckled at her discomfort, which made her go even stiffer.

"You're enjoying this entirely too much," she groused as he nodded to someone in passing on the road while squeezing Katniss's shoulder.

"Yes I am. Maybe I need a little fun to prepare for seeing Madge."

Katniss scowled up at him. "You might be the only person in District 12 who doesn't like Madge."

"I'm a rebel like that," he said but his voice lacked complete sincerity as they knocked at the Mayor's backdoor. A shuffling inside was followed by the unclicking of the lock. Soon, the door opened and it was Madge, greeting both of them but the smile she gave Gale had a peculiar warmth to it.

"Come in. Both of you," Madge said. As they entered, Katniss looked past her friend and saw Peeta standing behind her. It was all she could do to keep from throwing herself at him.

"We're alone, K. Dad's at the Justice Building and mom's in bed," Madge said, which was all the encouragement Katniss needed. She strode towards where Peeta stood and let him fold her in his arms.

"Happy to see me?" Peeta whispered into her hair.

"Always," she said, wrapping herself around him, allowing herself this moment of abandon before she pulled away, remembering that Gale and Madge were also in the room. Where it seemed like waves of heat rolled off of Katniss and Peeta, there was an awkward tension between Gale and Madge.

"We have strawberries…" Gale mumbled, handing a bag to Madge. She opened and the kitchen became suffused with the thick, sweet aroma of the wild fruit.

"How much?" she asked, breathing in the smell of them.

"Nothing...I picked them for you…" he said, suddenly squirming where he stood.

"Yeah," said Katniss, eyeing them both warily. "He went out and actually searched for more berry bushes."

"That was really kind of you," Madge said with evident pleasure. "But I think I'll pay for these. You already gave me a bag last week. That's enough for me." Madge walked to where her mother kept the money and returned to Gale. She placed a coin into his hand but he pressed it gently back, peering down at her with intensity.

"Next time," he said quietly.

Madge dropped her eyes. "Thank you," she said, taking the bag and placing it carefully on the counter before turning to Katniss and Peeta, who watched them surreptitiously, pretending to talk quietly near the corner. Madge drifted back to where Gale waited near the entrance.

"Sit. I'll make us all tea..." she indicated towards the small table in the corner.

Gale nodded, folding his large frame into the dainty chair, while Katniss took the chair closest to Peeta, eyeing her two friends.

"I have...scones also. Would you like one?" she asked everyone but directed her words to Gale.

He cleared his throat. "I'm not sure...I've never had a scone…"

Madge paused, a flash of surprise crossing her face before schooling her features. "You'll try one now and then you'll know."

Gale watched Madge as she prepared the tea, while Katniss whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear. "I was thinking we could all meet Sunday at the cabin."

Peeta's eyes grew dark with expectation. "What about our 'partners?' " he teased.

"Yeah, what about your partners, Catnip?" Gale asked loudly.

Katniss nearly growled at her friend. "I thought we could go...you know...hiking..."

Gale shrugged. "You mean _we're_ going hiking, _you guys_ are going to..."

Madge interrupted, side-eyeing him so that he promptly shut up. "There's the Summer Festival this weekend. I thought it would be nice to go together. Be seen...in public…" she glanced at Gale, then down at the floor again. "It's on Sunday. You don't work the mines on Sunday, right? Or did you pick up another extra shift?" she asked Gale.

"Uh, no. I got the whole weekend off," he said.

"Peeta, Katniss, what do you think?" Madge asked.

Peeta nodded, picking a corner from the scone Madge had served them. "I like that idea a lot. Give my mom something to gossip about. She was talking about our picnic in the meadow for at least two weeks," he shook his head.

Katniss scowled but said nothing. Sometimes, when she saw Madge and Peeta together, walking along the Square as if they were really a couple, she felt a pang of jealousy so hideous, she had to remind herself that all this was her idea, that she'd designed this ruse and now everyone was playing their role. After strategically putting rumors in place, hanging over each other when they were out in public, it had taken no time for everyone to know that Peeta and Madge had become a couple. It was irrational but the idea of it incensed her.

But then there were moments like these, when Madge was together with Gale and Katniss could swear...

Peeta noticed her preoccupation and grasped her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "You're fretting. Don't."

Behind them, a door opened and Katniss quickly withdrew her hand from Peeta's grasp. Her scowl deepened as her mood worsened. They turned to see Mayor Undersee enter the room, carrying a package under his arm.

"I just barely made it to the post office before it closed. Peeta, my boy, how are you?" The older gentleman shook his hand vigorously. "Gale. Katniss. How are you both?"

Gale smiled politely, while Katniss returned the greeting. "We're fine, thank you."

Mayor Undersee smiled warmly at her. "Squirrel biting today?" he asked.

Katniss opened her mouth to speak but Madge interrupted. "I actually invited them over for tea, dad. We were talking about the Spring Festival and how we all might just go together."

Her father nodded approvingly at this. "That sounds like a great idea! You can keep each other chaperoned. Leave me to my boring duties as announcer." He shook his head at this but did not seem entirely displeased. "It's lovely to see young people enjoying themselves. There are some of muffins in the cupboard, from the best bakery in District 12," he chuckled as he left the kitchen.

"There's only one bakery! Gosh, my dad is such a nerd!" Madge exclaimed when he was out of hearing, then glanced at her three guests, who all seemed amused by the entire scene. "What?"

Katniss's face changed, her eyes dropping to her lap. "It's sweet. You know, how your father is with you and all that."

"Being accepted is really awesome, too." Peeta mumbled. "I'd never get away with having tea with anyone from the Seam."

"I'd like to just _have_ a dad, if it's all the same to everybody," Gale groused.

Gale's comment took the oxygen out of the room. They ended up eating the scones, and eventually the muffins, in a strange and persistent silence.

 **XXXXX**

Like the Harvest Festival, the Summer Festival was a time when all of District 12 gathered together to celebrate the changing of the seasons. Theirs was not a particularly wealthy District, actually considered the poorest in all of Panem. But because of its insignificance in the greater economic scheme of the nation, and because it's only resource was the most unsexy commodity of coal, they were left largely to their own devices by the authorities. The negative consequence of this neglect was that poverty could be harsh on the residents, leading to the risk of starvation. The positive aspect of this neglect, however, was the freedom to handle District matters at the discretion of local representatives. Therefore, the festival took place every year with little oversight from peacekeepers and even with their tacit support.

At Madge's encouragement, Katniss put on a dress for the event. It was a simple, yellow dress, that fell just above her knee, a dress from her mother's days before she'd married her father and gone to live in the Seam, where there was no use for such clothes. Her little sister, Prim, helped her dress - she would go to the festival also, but in the company of her mother, leaving Katniss with her friends.

"You are such a vision. Peeta...I mean, Gale, will love this color very much," her mother said as she braided Katniss's hair.

"It's okay, mom. I think it's safe to speak freely here," Katniss muttered, displeased that she had to spend so much time getting ready. She'd never been very patient with such things, always in a hurry to get out to the woods or to the Hobbs.

"I know. But it's such a tricky thing, Katniss. All this deception…"

"Mom, I know, believe me, I know. But I wasn't left with very many options."

Her mother's eyes were gentle and clear, no longer clouded by grief over her father's death. Her husband, who she had loved so much, she had been willing to give up her Merchant life of comfort and ease to live with him in the Seam. She thought of Peeta, struggling like her mother had done and resolved to do her best to make her plan work.

"Just be careful. These things have a tendency to get complicated and take on a life of their own," she smiled proudly. "There. You look beautiful."

"Thank you," Katniss whispered, not sure how to really accept her mother's compliment. After a few last minute touches, Katniss heard the low rapping on the front door that meant Gale was waiting for her.

 **XXXXX**

The town center had never looked more festive. Lanterns hung from lamp posts, the tinted glass making the light flicker with different colors like fireflies dangling in the night. The air was filled with the twanging of fiddles while older men and women crooned the ancient ballads from their ancestors who'd once settled these mountains. Katniss felt the music work its way through her system, making her feel airy and uninhibited. A glance at Gale revealed that he was scanning the crowds, searching out something almost to distraction.

"Who are you…?" Katniss started to ask but stopped when his searching ended at the appearance of Madge and Peeta, arm in arm, strolling towards them.

"Hey!" Peeta said brightly, eyes sweeping over Katniss's figure, making no effort to hide his appraisal. "You look beautiful."

Katniss swallowed hard. "You're no slouch yourself," she answered, admiring the pale blue, collared shirt that seemed to catch the lighter flecks of blue in his eyes. His slacks fit him snugly and Katniss suddenly had a vision of herself, pulling off his perfectly pressed trousers but leaving his shirt unbuttoned as she did very bad things to him.

"Katniss?" Madge asked, drawing her attention from Peeta, who smirked, no doubt completely aware of where her mind had gone.

"I'm sorry. You were saying?" Katniss asked.

"I said I love what your mom did with your hair."

"You curled yours," Gale interjected, staring at the large waves at the end of Madge's golden hair.

Madge's cheeks turned crimson. "Yes. I...I did."

"I like it," he said, after which there was an awkward silence before Peeta gently led Madge along the avenue, Katniss and Gale just behind. They admired the stalls with different merchandise and food. There wasn't anything new on display - all the wares could be found in the Hob but, set up as they were, it looked like there was something exotic at every turn.

They eventually found themselves before Greasy Sae's stall, where she was offering a typical hard bread with stew. Each of the four took a bowl, savoring the treat. When it came to cooking, Greasy Sae could make shoe leather taste like veal and she did not disappoint.

"It's going to be a beautiful evening," she drawled, watching the crowds mingle and meander. "Music'll be starting soon?" she asked but it was less a question than a suggestion.

Peeta, quick as ever, turned to the group. "Want to dance?" indicating towards the open square, from where the music came.

"I don't know…" Madge said.

"I can teach you, if you get confused," Gale offered, to Katniss's surprise. He was not one to dance at all, actually avoiding it at all costs.

Madge nodded, giving him a grateful smile that set something off inside of Katniss, an awareness that sat just beneath the surface but was not ready to come out into the open just yet.

As Peeta led the group towards the square, it became dense with people preparing to dance the next set. The very elderly or disinterested sat on benches around the dance area, while in the middle was ample space to execute the folk group dances that were typical of District 12. They all took their places in a circle, Katniss strategically placed between Gale and Peeta so she could enjoy the small pleasure of holding Peeta's hand in a crowd.

The music began and a whoop of excitement exploded from the crowd as the steps that everyone seemed to know from the day they were conceived emerged, a jaunty, jocular eruption of clapping, stomping, larger and smaller circles of couples and foursomes coming together to the music. As they twirled, Katniss couldn't help but laugh with the excitement of it all - the way everyone worked in unison, a rag-tag group of residents and their families becoming something elegant and beautiful. Peeta captured her on one of the turns, leading her in a dizzying circle caused partly by the music, partly by the feel of his hands on her. She knew, for one moment, a pure, unadulterated joy, joy reflected not only in Peeta's face but in Madge's and Gale's also. And it hit her, like a bucket of bricks falling on her head, exactly what she had only sensed before.

When Peeta passed her off to Gale and took Madge again, they spun off on their own and Katniss couldn't help but blurt out. "You like her!"

"What?" Gale said as he stepped to her right, arms locked, and stepped forward before spinning, locking with the opposite arm and repeated the steps in the opposite direction, all in time to the music.

"You like Madge! And she likes you too!" Katniss said, trying to be heard above the music.

"Shhh, just go shout it on the loudspeaker, why don't you?" Gale groused, his face pale but his eyes bright and shiny. Katniss simply laughed, leaping onto her place in line again with renewed vigor. It was perfect and wonderful and though Katniss had never been one for romance, it made her heart burst with happiness that her best friends might have those kinds of feelings for each other instead of the deep dislike of only a few months ago.

When the music wound down, she was full of energy and a rare happiness she hardly ever felt. Unthinkingly, she flung her arms around Peeta, laughing with the remains of the music as it withdrew from their minds and muscles. When she felt Peeta stiffen, however, she realized her mistake and flew away from him. To her eternal credit, Madge had seen Katniss faux pas and reacted by hugging Gale also, before turning to hug Peeta. To the casual observer, it looked like four friends thanking each other for a dance but a burning sensation in the back of Katniss's head caused her to look across the crowd at Mrs. Mellark, staring at her as if she could drive the entire weight of her hatred across time and space and wedge it in Katniss's chest without moving a muscle.

Shaken, Katniss grasped Gale's hand and took a turn with Madge and Peeta around the center. They continued to banter lightly, examining the wares, saying hello to people they knew until they neared the table where Mrs. Mellark sat, talking with a group of older women and widows like her. Out of simple courtesy, Peeta lead them to where she sat to give their greetings. Mrs. Mellark swept her eyes over the group, only a lingering hatred now resting on Katniss but bringing forth the memory of that glare nonetheless.

"Yes, Peeta, I was just telling our friends here how lovely it is to see young men and women, in love and dancing. It's such a delight, isn't it now, Hannah?"

"Oh, indeed," said a pale-faced woman with limbs that were almost too long for her already rail-thin body. "It's a beautiful thing to see!"

"And when couples are well-matched and compliment each other, well, that is the most that a parent can hope to have for their child," Mrs. Mellark continued.

The four younger people stood mute before the praise, nodding politely but eager to get underway. That is why the next words out of Mrs. Mellark's mouth took them all completely by surprise.

"It will be my greatest satisfaction when my youngest son finally takes this fine women as his wife. Then he can have the bakery as his own and I can finally retire in peace," she said. She turned her gaze purposefully towards Katniss and gave her smile so bright, it looked like a grotesque caricature.

It was all Katniss could do to keep from falling on the spot she stood.

 **XXXXX**

 **This story took on a life of its own. I am so grateful to the lovely mylionskitten for the prompt. Thanks also to akai-echo and thegirlfromoverthepond, who gave me invaluable feedback and helped make this chapter better. Parts 4/5? are handwritten (that was fun, if tiring) - as soon as I have transcribed and revise them, this little surprise mini-fic will be at its end. I appreciate everyone taking the time to read it :)!**


	4. The Engagement

**Banner by the outstanding akai-echo!**

 **Now on AO3 / ffnet**

 **Summary: (In-Panem AU) Peeta stands to inherit the bakery, but his mother won't sign the papers until he is officially engaged to a proper Merchant class girl. So Katniss enlists the help of her best friends Madge and Gale, who can just barely stand each other, to fake date and go on double dates so they can be together. Things get complicated when it's time to plan the wedding. A fic in six parts.**

 **Prompt submitted by mylionskitten for the** **Everlark fix Exchange** **, hosted by the most talented javistg. Thank you, my friend!**

 **Part 4 - The Engagement**

Peeta cleared his throat, putting on a smile that was both bright and false. Anyone who knew him knew he was switching on the charm. Katniss didn't know what it is he thought was worth smiling about but she suddenly found it hard to think, every sound muffled by the sound of her heart hammering in her chest.

"Well, we didn't want to spoil the surprise but...Madge just agreed to marry me," Peeta exclaimed proudly.

"What?" Gale blurted out.

"We were going to tell you later but I guess Mom beat us to it," Peeta said, giving Gale a curious look, as if begging him to play along. Gale cast a glance at Madge, whose eyes had gone wide as saucers. Katniss meanwhile was sure that she'd finally end up on the ground and leaned against Gale for support. She knew it might come to this but she still wasn't prepared to hear the words spoken out loud. At precisely that moment, Mayor Undersee and his wife made their appearance.

"I...I agreed. I...said...yes…" Madge

"What did you agree to, dear?" Mrs. Undersee asked her daughter while the Mayor greeted the older women whose attention was now fixed on Peeta and Madge.

"Look at those crazy kids. Worn out from all that dancing. Hello, Mrs. Abernathy, Mrs. Wilkins," he paused when he addressed Peeta's mother, "Mrs. Mellark."

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Mrs. Undersee repeated, her voice gentle and airy but with an undertone of firmness. "You said yes to what, Madge?"

Katniss's heart broke for her friend now. One thing was to pretend to be dating before acquaintances or even friends. It was another thing altogether to be forced to tell someone close to her a lie in such a public way. Katniss made to step forward, to stop the entire farce once and for all but Gale held her back.

"Peeta and I are engaged…" Madge said quietly, a forced smile that was much less spontaneous than that of Peeta's gracing her now pale face.

"Really?" Mrs. Undersee said in shock. "It's rather...I mean...congratulations…."

"Yes, oh yes!" Mrs. Mellark leapt up from where she sat. She'd dressed for the occasion - done her hair, makeup and even wore a dress that, had she been anyone else, would have rendered her pretty. "What a wonderful thing, don't you think, Marianne?" She hugged a stunned Mrs. Undersee, before turning her attention to Madge and finally Peeta, all of whom stiffly returned her effusions. "We'll be family now!" she continued as she finally embraced the Mayor.

"Yes, I guess we will be!" Mr. Undersee said good-naturedly, though his gaze lingered on Peeta and Madge, as if he were trying to solve a mystery. "Come, let's go up to the house and celebrate this occasion!" He put his arm around Peeta as he walked while Mrs. Undersee and Mrs. Mellark flanked Madge.

Katniss and Gale stood for a moment, staring after the group until Madge turned and beckoned towards them. "Aren't you coming?"

Mrs. Mellark interjected quickly before Katniss could answer. "Oh, dear, you are so sweet! But this is a family event. Surely they can come by for a visit tomorrow with your other friends to wish you well!"

Peeta, who, despite his smile, appeared to be in a daze, woke from his stupor to speak but the older gentleman squeezed his shoulder. "I'm sure you will see them tomorrow," he said jovially, stopping to turn towards Katniss and Gale. "Give my regards to both your mothers. I believe I saw them together earlier near the dance area," he said.

Katniss pasted a false smile of her own on her face, one that must have looked maniacal. Peeta nodded once imperceptibly, which gave her courage and calmed her somewhat but did nothing to make her feel any less awful.

"Come on, Catnip," Gale said gloomily and it was only then that Katniss realized his distress also.

"You okay?" she said, suddenly worried about her long-time friend, though her stomach was tied up in knots over the events of the evening.

"Yeah...well, no," he said, still staring at the group even after the darkness had hidden them from view.

"Why would he do that!" she burst out finally when she was sure they could no longer be heard. "You heard her! Now the old witch definitely won't sign the bakery over to him until he marries Madge! Why didn't he try to buy some time…?"

"No, he did the right thing. It was risky, I'll grant you that, but it was the right thing to do. She forced his hand so now, he's bringing it all to a head. He's tired of it," Gale glanced down at Katniss, who could not believe his words. "Aren't you tired of all the pretending?"

Katniss scowled but now that the shock had worn off, she had not choice to agree with him. Mrs. Mellark had pulled her queen out from behind her pawns and cornered Peeta by making her statement public. His only choice was to either fold or counterattack, so he had chosen the boldest move available to him. She understood it. But it didn't make it easier to swallow.

"I think I just want to go home," Katniss said, knowing she wouldn't sleep.

"Yeah," was Gale's only answer. The look at his face told her he would spend the whole night stewing about it also.

 **XXXXX**

Katniss spent the next few days in a haze of anxious loneliness. Gale had his shifts at the mines, Peeta was at the bakery, and Mrs. Mellark was suddenly Madge's best friend, leaving Katniss with her small family and her sister's mangy cat as her only company. It was already warm - summer would be intense this year, which made hunting too late in the day particularly unenjoyable.

Katniss suffered the most from her compulsive thoughts. There was no way around it. Mrs. Mellark has solidified her conditions. An engagement would no longer suffice. She would have her wedding or Peeta would lose everything. And she couldn't stop the refrain that kept going around and around in her head - that she was sure she was to blame for it all. If she had just been a little more mindful of herself...

Peeta arranged to have all four of them meet at the lake on Saturday, something which Katniss looked forward to with no small amount of apprehension. She'd seen the marriage announcement on the bans outside of the Justice Building for the following week. Maybe they'd gotten married already. Would Peeta take things that far? She struggled to maintain her composure as Peeta appeared on the lake bank, hurrying towards her as if he hadn't just had a public engagement the week before with her best friend. She smiled nervously when Madge and Gale soon followed, speaking in low but animated tones between them.

"I'm sorry...Mom's been in rare form and I haven't had a minute to myself," Peeta complained, pulling Katniss into his arms, seeking her lips out to kiss her but Katniss dodged him, hoping instead for an explanation.

"Yeah, I've had more of your mom than I ever needed to have," Madge interjected as Gale set a large basket down by the lake front.

"That's what you get for getting engaged to that lump," Gale groused, earning a wry look from Peeta.

"Katniss, you don't know the fun you have in store for you when Mrs. Mellark becomes your mother-in-law," Madge continued, laying a large blanket out.

Katniss listened to everyone's banter, her heart pounding with both relief and rising anger at the three of them. Finally, she couldn't stand it anymore and burst out, "Why the hell are you guys making jokes at a time like this!"

Everyone looked up abruptly at Katniss, as if she had become a mental case which, with all the stress she'd been under, she very well might be.

"You try spending a week with Mrs. Mellark, planning your supposed wedding, and tell me if you don't need to have a laugh!" Madge blurted out. "No offense, Peeta."

"None taken. But let's go easy on Katniss. She doesn't know."

"Doesn't know what?" she demanded, losing her patience with all of them, even Gale, who should know better than to sit on the bank with that smug look on his face and tease her in the state she was in. She was ready to throttle all of them and disappear into the woods. "I saw the marriage announcement! This has gotten out of control!"

"Oh that? Look, I'd do anything for you, but I draw the line at fake-marriage. You have to understand that," Madge said dryly.

"That's right," Gale scowled. "I don't think anyone would expect that. It would be a bit much, wouldn't it?" he asked rhetorically.

"No," Peeta said finally, scooping up his backpack. "No one could ever expect such a thing." He turned towards Katniss, extending a hand to her, his brilliant blue eyes suddenly bright with emotion. "Walk with me and let me talk to you. I haven't seen you all week."

Katniss still felt rigid with anger but the look on Peeta's face was enough to melt her resistance. Stepping carefully past Gale and Madge, who had already withdrawn into a world that only included them, Katniss took Peeta's hand and let him lead her to the reeds around a bend in the lake, to a point far away from Gale and Madge. As they walked, he pulled out a small bag and handed it to her.

"I brought you fresh cheese buns," he said quietly as they pushed their way through shoulder-high grasses. He flattened the tall stalks, laying a blanket over the padded vegetation, effectively hiding them from view of their friends.

"Peeta…" Katniss began, a complaint rising out of her, aching to be heard, filled with anger, desperation, confusion and, at the bottom of it all, a furious longing for him.

"Shhh…" he tugged her down on to the blanket, catching her face in his hands before kissing her, lingering on her lips and stealing her breath with its intensity. He pressed her slowly onto the blanket until he hovered over her.

"I've missed you so much," he mumbled against her lips, his hands attacking her, tugging at the buttons of her light hunting pants, crawling under her t-shirt, pushing her bra up to cup her firm breast, kneading it in his calloused palm. Katniss was lost, carried away by his kisses, his hips that now ground his erection into her leg. She needed to tell him to stop, that maybe Gale and Madge could hear them, that they were somewhere nearby, beyond the slope and the reeds but Peeta wouldn't hear a word from her.

"Peeta…" she insisted as he unzipped her pants, yanking them off of her together with her boots and tossing them into a tangled heap next to them. He tore her shirt off so she lay completely naked before him, her skin tingling from the sun, the breeze and his hungry eyes on her.

"Shhh...tell me everything you want to say later," Peeta said as he quickly undressed and settled between her legs. "We have the whole day…" he whispered as he rubbed his hard cock at her entrance, hissing at the contact. She was already wet for him. Despite the anxiety and stress of the week, it only took one look from him to make her body sing from want. Forgetting everything, Katniss closed her eyes, feeling him slide inside of her, reveling in the perfect way he fit with her. She hadn't been with anyone else before him but she doubted that anyone could feel the way Peeta felt inside of her now, rocking slowly into her, seeking out her pleasure in long strokes and the tilted angle of his hips.

His thrust came faster as the tension and desperation for release built between them. With his lips at her throat, she came with such force, Peeta had to cover her mouth to keep the shouts of pleasure from bursting down the embankment. He followed soon after, biting back his moans, shuddering until his body betrayed him and he gave out, crumbling limply over her.

He took his time to come back from his high, running his fingers over her hips and thighs. For a while, Katniss did not think of the impossible predicament of her life with Peeta or his engagement to Madge. She thought only of his physicality - his broad shoulders partially blocking the vivid blue sky when he leaned over her. The sparkling sun played games with his hair, shimmering throughout like fingers of golden fire. She was happiest when she was out in the woods but never more so than at that moment, where she lay naked with Peeta, pinned beneath his warm, protective body.

The lull was broken when he rolled away to fetch the bag of cheese buns, breaking the bread into pieces and feeding them to her.

"I just want to freeze this moment, right here, right now, and live in it forever with you. Would you allow it?" he asked.

Katniss slowly swallowed the piece of bread in her mouth, overcome with sudden emotion. "I'd allow it," she said, her heart withering as reality reared its ugly head, refusing to be kept at bay. "I would allow you to have anything you wanted, no matter what it was." She paused, loathe to give reality the power to break their idyll. "But your mother might have other ideas about that."

"My mother," Peeta repeated, helping pull Katniss to a sitting position close to him. "The idea of this entire charade is to convince my mother to sign the shop over to me, to make her think she is getting what she wants in return."

"So, is your plan to get 'fake-married' and then maybe have 'fake-children' and create a 'fake-family' for the rest of your life?" she burst out. "This is hopeless. We were stupid to think we could get away with this. And it was all my half-baked idea!"

"No, to all of that." Peeta peered at her as he broke off another piece of a cheese bun and popped it in his mouth. He chewed thoughtfully. "Do you know under which circumstances a marriage can be considered invalid?"

Katniss took the proffered piece of bread, considering Peeta in return. "You mean, at the time of the ceremony?"

"Yes," he answered.

Katniss considered him for another moment. "When either the bride or the groom are already married to someone else."

Peeta smiled at her before tugging his back pack towards him, pulling a small pouch from inside. "Do you know why people in our District do a toasting?"

Katniss's eyes widened as he loosened the tie on the pouch and emptied its contents into his open hand. "No...I mean, I have an idea…"

"Freedom. It represents the ultimate freedom to choose the person we love," Peeta, said, toying with something small between his forefinger and thumb. "No matter what the government, or society or our parents say, the toasting belongs entirely to the couple in question. We choose who we want to share that moment with when we bind ourselves to another." He paused his handling of the small object to hold Katniss's gaze. "It's done in secret because it's one of the few decisions that can't be undone by anyone else. Not even the law can interfere with it."

He angled what he held in his fingers before her so that it was revealed to be a simple ring. The gold band was without elaboration except for the engraving of a slim vine that wound it's way completely around the metal. He held it before her but she didn't reach out to touch it right away, for fear it might dissolve in her hands together with every dream she had never known she had with Peeta.

"What about...your mom? Your engagement?" she stuttered, her voice quavering.

"I appreciate everything that Gale and Madge have done to keep my mother from having her way," he said as he captured her hand. "But I don't ever want to forget what's the endgame. It really isn't the bakery or the wedding. It's you. I would let everything else go before I lose you." He placed the ring over her left ring finger and slid it carefully up until it nestled into place.

Katniss stared down at the ring, then back up at Peeta, hoping that he was serious and it was not all still part of the subterfuge or a figment of her imagination. She'd vowed never to get married - she had always been completely blunt on the matter. But Peeta changed her mind and now that he was offering her the very thing she thought she'd never wanted, it suddenly became her greatest heart's desire.

"Would you marry me?" Peeta asked.

Katniss stared dumbly, trying to give her doubts and hesitation a last chance to assert themselves but they remained silent. Only her concern for the bakery persisted. It would be a loss for him and that alone should have encouraged her to behave more nobly and let him go but she was just too greedy to live without him.

"Yes,' she said, barely a whisper. "Let's get married."

Peeta leaned forward, kissing her fully on the mouth. When he pulled back he was smiling happily and she was sure the glassiness of his eyes were from the tears that he had not shed. She basked in the moment though her stomach quivered with fear.

"Let's have our toasting today," he said.

Katniss shook her head in disbelief. "You came prepared, didn't you? You even brought the witnesses."

Peeta smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, well, you're a hard bird to catch and I wasn't planning on letting you get away." His face became serious. "I know how unhappy you must have been this week."

Katniss dropped her eyes to her ring finger, caressing the gold band. _Unhappy_ was too weak of a word to describe what she'd felt. She could feel her throat constrict so that all she could say was, "Yeah." But Peeta, who understood her so well, took her hand and squeezed it gently, and didn't ask anymore about it.

She glanced past the impenetrable wall of grass, in the direction where they'd left Madge and Gale. It occurred to Katniss that they'd known what Peeta was coming to do. Like always, they were their co-conspirators. Her best friends. Katniss realized with sudden clarity what they meant to her and how lucky she was to have all of them.

Without a word, they dressed and, hand-in-hand, made their way across the embankment and back to where their friends waited for them.

 **XXXXX**

 **Many thanks to the lovely mylionskitten for the prompt. Thanks also to akai-echo and thegirlfromoverthepond, who gave me invaluable feedback and helped make this chapter better. I had only intended for this story to last four parts but turns out there is a fifth part (The Wedding) and an outtake featuring Gadge. I realized I needed something between chapters 2 and 3 to explain the Gale's sudden gentility towards Madge. I think the Outtake will do that as well as tie in to the conclusion. They'll be published together very soon.**

 **Thanks for reading this little confection!**


	5. The Outtake

**This part takes place I had only intended for this story to last four parts but turns out there is a fifth part (The Wedding) and an outtake featuring Gadge. I realized I needed something between chapters 2 and 3 to explain the Gale's sudden change towards Madge.**

 **Prompt submitted by mylionskitten for the** **Everlark fix Exchange** **, hosted by the most talented javistg. Thank you, my friend!**

 **XXXXX**

Gale was in a bleak mood when he returned to his home in the Seam. Katniss had disappeared to put her plan into action, the idea of which made him ache almost physically. He had resigned himself long ago to the fact that she loved the youngest son of the baker and that she would like carry that love for him inside of her, in one form or another, for the rest of her life.

However, despite this fact, he had always retained a secret hope that the affair would run its course and, because of different obstacles, finally come to an end. Then maybe, just maybe, Gale might have a chance with her.

But this latest development left him privy of all hope. If Katniss was willing to go to such great lengths to fool Mrs. Mellark, it meant that neither Katniss nor Peeta were going to allow social conventions to interfere with their relationship. Like her own mother before her, Katniss would have her way and what she wanted was Peeta. In his experience, when people fought so hard for something, they usually did not do so lightly. This left Gale with few hopes of ever getting Katniss' attention back, if he had ever had it to begin with.

His humor worsened as he neared the neighborhood where both he and Katniss had grown up. By the time he entered the small house and set his catch on the table, he was beyond being able to hold a conversation, except with his youngest sister, Posy, with whom he smiled and tried to attend to as gently as possible. But the constant feeling of misery that sat in his chest grew until he couldn't bear anyone's company any longer.

If Hazel, his widowed mother, noted his dour mood at all, she didn't remark on it. Gale dutifully helped wash his youngest siblings after dinner and got them off to bed with only the minimal interaction before hurrying off to his corner of the house - essentially a closet that had been converted into a tiny room for him. As he lay face down on the bed, his thoughts kept him alert, making it difficult to sleep. This obstacle between Katniss and Peeta would only serve to make them cling to each other even more than before. And Gale's only consolation prize was to spend the next however many months with a girl he could barely stand as he was forced to watch the person he cared for the most fall even more madly in love with someone else.

 **XXXXX**

It was a week before Gale was called to action, during which time he distracted himself with work in the mines, checking his snares and caring for his family. Katniss appeared at his door in the early hours before dawn, fresh and pretty as a bouquet of peonies, even with her usual scowl. She was full of uncharacteristic excitement.

"I spoke to Peeta." she said as they made their way out of the Seam and into the woods. "He's already taken Madge out in public a couple of times this week."

Gale nodded as he bent to check one of his snares, saying nothing in response.

Katniss, who was used to his silences, continued. "We were thinking that tomorrow, if you're free…"

"Yeah, I'm free. What's your idea?" he said abruptly.

She frowned but plowed on. "We were thinking of coming out to the cabin and doing some hiking, maybe have lunch…" Her voice trailed away when she observed his tense shoulders. "You haven't reconsidered, have you?"

Gale sighed heavily. He should reconsider. After all, it wasn't like he was going to enjoy himself and, much as he disliked Mrs. Mellark, he wasn't much for deception. But none of that was going to make Katniss want him more and if he couldn't have her happy with him, that at least she deserved to be happy with someone else. He knew no matter how much it pained him, her well-being would always trump his own.

Shrugging away his existential crisis, he straightened from his work and nodded with what he hoped was reassurance. "Yeah, I'm still in. What time do you want me to be here?"

 **XXXXX**

They decided to meet at Katniss's house the very next morning. It was on the way to the fence and the Everdeen house, which was often bustling with the ill or injured, rarely saw gatherings of a social nature. Prim helped Mrs. Everdeen prepare tea, which she served Gale as Katniss dressed. If Prim had harbored any desire to accompany the foursome into the woods, she didn't let on because that was her way. She wasn't the type to impose herself on anyone else. He nodded at the young girl, who most resembled Mrs. Everdeen, except for the darker shade of her skin and eyes a deeper blue than the virtually clear ones of her mother.

"We have a baby to deliver soon, isn't that right, mama?" Prim said as she brought a small pot of honey to the table.

"She's due any moment," Mrs. Everdeen answered. "I'll wager tomorrow, the Thompsons will have themselves a new member of the family."

Prim smiled with excitement. It was clear where the girl's talents lay. She was a good girl, one of the nicest people Gale had ever known. He only hoped she was luckier in love than her older sister.

Katniss entered, dressed as Gale was, with her hunting pants and long sleeved thermal, except hers had clearly been washed and even pressed, which was interesting, given she hunted wild animals with them. Her braid was freshly made - overall, she looked more put together than usual Her father's jacket hung by the door but she didn't reach for it right away, despite the chill in the air.

"Peeta gave me cookies the other day. Would you like one?" Katniss offered.

"No, I'm fine," he said, taking his eyes off of her and onto his tea. There was no sense in ogling her.

Soon there was a knock at the door. When Katniss opened, Peeta and Madge stood on the other side. Peeta smiled easily - Gale was pretty sure he never felt awkward or embarrassed as he stepped inside to leave a chaste kiss on Katniss's cheek, after which he kissed Prim, who might have even blushed. It made him want to scoff in disbelief that even her little sister might have a small crush on Peeta. It figured. He turned his attention instead to Madge.

She stood at the door, fidgeting nervously. She was understandably shy, for it was her first time visiting Katniss's house and probably her first ever excursion into the Seam. For sure, two Merchants roaming their neighborhoods would already be an object of interest but the fact that one of them was the Mayor's daughter could only result in a stir. Gale thought she might not be used to people flat-out gawking at her.

"I made tea," Mrs. Everdeen said as she invited Madge inside, clearly trying to put the girl at ease. "And cookies. I've heard the baker is very good."

"Probably the best in Panem, no doubt." Peeta, answered, which made Gale want to roll his eyes. Peeta nodded in acknowledgement at Gale and took a seat close, but discreetly, next to Katniss, respectfully paying attention to her but not so much as to appear unseemly. Yet Peeta's eyes followed her every move and Katniss's flickered towards his in response, as if an invisible cord connected them to and one tug would elicit a reaction in the other.

"No doubt," Mrs. Everdeen smiled, shaking her head as she placed the delicately frosted confections in the middle of the table, offering one to Madge. It occurred to Gale that even after all those years in the Seam, Mrs. Everdeen had never lost that air of a lady. Her Merchant upbringing was evident from the way she carried herself and her delicate mannerisms. Though she was now older and somewhat careworn, she still possessed a certain grace that set her apart from other Seam woman, a grace her youngest daughter had inherited also.

"No...No ma'am, thank you," Madge said, declining the proffered treat. She was more herself now that she was behind the closed door and no longer an object of scrutiny.

It was then that Gale noticed Madge's clothes. She wore a warm, powder blue cotton dress with a matching cardigan that brought out the color of her eyes. It would have been a fine dress to go shopping in the market or to take tea in the small cafe in town but it was hardly a dress to wear out of doors.

"Are you going hiking in that?" Gale asked incredulously.

She appeared taken aback at first, shocked by his abrupt tone, which almost made him feel like apologizing. But her shock turned to irritation, causing a sneer to appear on her face.

"Well, it's not like I had much of a choice," she snapped. "Nobody goes out in the woods, remember? My parents think I'm going to take a walk in the meadow." Her voice with an indignant crescendo. "I couldn't just leave the house dressed like a Peacekeeper!"

Gale's felt a sudden wave of shame. She was right - with the laws limiting who could leave the district and who could have access to the woods, even the Mayor's daughter would be hard pressed to justify wearing a hiking outfit.

"It's okay," Katniss interjected, eyeing Gale with hostility. "At least your shoes are closed."

"It was all I could get away with," she groused, looking balefully at Gale before crossing her arms.

"You look fine. It's not like we're going to climb any trees," Peeta interjected, causing Gale's mood to darken significantly, which was further exacerbated when Madge crossed her arms and ignored Gale completely until Katniss announced it was time to go.

The dress was only the beginning of Gale's woes. Madge was right - she'd never been in the woods - so her steps were slow and unsure and she stumbled often. While Katniss never took her eyes off of Peeta, it was left to Gale to attend to his clumsier partner.

As they made painfully slow progress through the woods, Madge came to a sudden stop, freezing in place for the tenth time. Gale paused also, praying that they'd eventually make it to the cabin before the end of the week.

"You tired already?" he asked, trying to keep the impatience out of his voice.

"N-no…" she stuttered. "I…" she struggled, wisps of flaxen-colored hair loosened from her ponytail flying across her face with a sudden breeze from the east.

"What is it then?" he asked.

"It's just...well, it's just the most beautiful thing I've ever seen…" she said with feeling, taking in the view of endless trees, the undulating hills further down the slope along which they walked, and an opening in the treeline which revealed the towering mountains far beyond District 12. Gale followed her gaze and saw those same trees and mountains that he'd been looking at all his life as if he were seeing them for the first time. Through her eyes, he felt that terrifying beauty and found himself moved despite himself.

When she'd taken her fill of the mountains, she moved on, stumbling on a medium rock. Gale looked back over his shoulder at the valleys now masked by trees as they advanced, stumbling himself under the weight of the wood's sudden alienness, the way it creeped up and demanded to be seen. She'd made him see it again, and touched by the magic of that landscape, he made his way slowly, patiently along the natural path that led to their destination.

 **XXXXX**

Katniss had a strong proprietary attachment to the cabin in the wood. It was her father's, after all, though whether he actually built it or if it had been in his family for some generations was unclear. What was evident was how much she loved that little house, despite the fact that it was showing it's age. If it wasn't more decrepit, it was only because Peeta had made a few repairs here and there and made the interior liveable with a tablecloth for the small table and a thick duvet on the pallet-bed. It was as comfortable as the old place could get.

They laid out their lunch on the small table, leaving the window and door open to allow the fresh wind to filter in. The cabin was cool but humid in its perpetual shade of overgrown trees and vines.

Madge and Gale ate quietly as Katniss and Peeta chatted in low voices, maybe even in their own invented language, so incomprehensible was their speech to Gale. Madge had relaxed significantly on the walk through the woods and no longer appeared angry at his comments about her outfit.

"Dress turned out to be okay after all," Gale said, feeling strangely conciliatory, albeit awkward, for he was not one for small talk.

"Oh well, yeah, it was the best I could do." Madge repeated her refrain of earlier.

"It...well, it does the job...and it's a...nice color too." he scrambled for words, his mouth finding them foreign.

"Thanks. I guess...it works, I guess...for the whole...covering my body thing..." she trailed off, glancing at Katniss and Peeta, who spoke as if no one in the world existed any longer.

Peeta looked up from his adoration of Katniss and smiled blandly. "It's a nice dress, Madge. Suits you really well."

Gale suddenly felt like he was an extra set of eyes where no eyes were wanted and he didn't enjoy the feeling at all.

"Wanna...wanna go outside?" he asked Madge, for it was clear Katniss and Peeta wanted nothing more than to be alone.

Madge nodded. "That sounds like a great idea. Katniss, we're going to go explore for a little while." Katniss's dazed look and Peeta's benign excitement made Gale want to roll his eyes. "Maybe a couple of hours?" she said.

"Oh..okay, well…we'll be here. Right, Peeta?" Katniss stammered.

"Yeah, we won't...leave without you or anything," he added. He exchanged a look with Katniss that made Gale groan inwardly even more - they had done all the hiking they were going to do for today and it was pretty clear what they'd be getting up to as soon as they were out the door.

"Let's go," Gale growled, certain they were too besotted to notice his irritation anyway.

Madge followed him outside, breathing in the fresh air. "Things were getting kind of heated in there," she said as soon as they were far enough away to be heard.

Gale chuckled despite himself. "I guess sneaking around has to take a toll on people."

She nodded, glancing up at the canopy of trees with evident admiration. As the minutes ticked by, Gale began to shift from one foot to another, searching the air as if it would grant him the answers to all of his questions. Finally, unable to stand his own inertia, he beckoned to Madge, pointing her in the direction of trees.

"There's a view of the valley that you will probably like," he said, leading the way through the rugged terrain.

"I love everything. Honestly! Now I understand why you risk the law every day to come out here…" she sputtered to a stop before continuing, "besides...I mean, besides having to hunt and and all that…"

Gale glanced back at the small cabin, suddenly preoccupied with it. "It's okay. If it wasn't for these woods, we'd have long starved to death."

Madge nods, glancing also behind them as the cabin faded from view. "It must not be very easy."

"What isn't?" Gale paused to wait for her to scramble over a log.

She shrugged, her hair catching a wayward beam of sunlight, reflecting it throughout her golden hair. He was loathe to admit it but her hair was really rather pretty. "Watching Katniss...with Peeta."

He nodded at this, a sudden weight dropping into the pit of his stomach. He was trying very hard to distract himself from that fact, though why it should bother him so, he didn't know. It certainly wasn't the first time Katniss had brought Peeta here - it was their preferred meeting place, far from the prying eyes of anyone who might bring news back to his mother about his true whereabouts. Gale never stopped to wonder what lies Peeta told to account for his time away, how he managed to hide something so big from his family but that cabin made it possible.

But being present at that the very moment when the both of them would soon come together was beyond his tolerance. He walked further into the woods, his intention completely set on taking Madge to a place where the beauty she was so sensitive to might wipe away his discontent and make him forget what was taking place behind him.

When he finally arrived at the bare outcropping, he offered Madge his hand to steady her. She was light but surprisingly sturdy, contrary to the airy creature he'd created in his mind, the one who loved strawberries and wore dresses made of mist. She gripped his hand firmly, pulling herself up to where he stood proudly perched on the large stone. She put her head up to the breeze and looked out over the valley, the mountain peaks rising out of the deep chasm cut into the hills before her. Gale saw the wonder and admiration on her face and again forgot that he didn't actually like her.

"If I thought I could get away with it, I'd come out here everyday," she said breathlessly, turning her wide, blue eyes toward him. "I'd accomplish nothing. I'd just walk and watch everything."

"And then you'd get lost," Gale interjected.

"Not if I had someone to show me around," she said. She suddenly wore the same look Katniss had when she'd sprung her whole fake-dating scheme on him. He raised an eyebrow, not daring to pose the question, for fear of what she was going to respond.

Madge suddenly gave him her sweetest smile and he knew he was in for it. "Well, if we have to be out here, we might as well figure out a way to pass the time," she said. "You could teach me how to, you know, find things."

He considered her for a moment, calculating her proposition. They'd be at least two hours in these woods - it would be in his best interests to take advantage of the time and go foraging. And two hands were better than one - his time with Katniss had taught him that.

"Usually, Katniss is better at foraging than I am but I can teach you what I know," he said.

"I'd like that," she said, genuinely happy. It did much to improve her appearance and Gale found himself relaxing.

"Well, let's start with the easy stuff," he said, leading her down the slope and into a thicket of woods before them. "There are mint bushes and wild berries. We'll collect those first." And for a good, long while, he forgot that he should dislike Madge or be sore about Katniss and Peeta in the cabin.

 **XXXXX**

"You've been gone for a good while!" Katniss exclaimed when Gale and Madge returned from their excursion later than anyone expected.

"Gale's been teaching me how to gather herbs. We found a mint bush that we can use to make tea," she said excitedly, showing them a bag Gale lent her to carry her findings.

Peeta approached, an arm resting lazily on Katniss's shoulder. Gale was surprised to discover the movement did not irk him as it normally would."That's a good haul," he said, inhaling the aroma of the jagged, rough leaves. "If you want, I could make mint cookies for next week," Katniss gave Peeta a meaningful look, cutting him off before he went further.

"You're afraid we weren't going to survive the day together," Madge said, laughing at the Katniss's guilty expression. She'd gotten sun and her skin was a soft, rosy color that made her look healthy and robust. "I think we actually had fun," she looked to Gale for confirmation.

"Yeah, she's not half-bad when she's not falling down," he quipped but he felt the warmth that came from sincere pleasure. "We'll do it again when we come back."

Madge practically clapped her hands together like a schoolgirl, tugging Katniss along with her to show her what else she'd collected while Peeta and Gale trailed behind. It was a strange feeling he carried inside him, for he came to the woods for sustenance and food, not for the sake of recreation. So it took him quite by surprise as he walked away from the cabin and back in the direction of the fence, to realize he had actually had a good time and was eager to repeat the experience again.

 **XXXXX**

The Hob on Saturday was so busy in District 12, it was nearly festive. Gale had worked the early shift at the mine so he was able to wash and dress in time to catch the last few hours before the black market closed. His trips into the woods with Madge were transformed from an obligation to a welcome routine. As she'd gotten better at spotting and collecting plants, their haul had also improved. He still made sure to check what she collected before letting her take anything home but she was a quick study with a real passion for being outside.

He walked quickly down to the Hob, hoping to trade for a few odds and ends he knew his mother needed when he heard his name being called. Gale scanned the street, perpetually covered in the graying-black coal dust when he caught sight of his friend, Thom, waving at him.

Gale strode towards him, noting in passing that Thom, a fellow miner from his crew, looked almost dashing when he wasn't covered in coal dust. Slender and dark, like any other Seam-resident, Thom had aquiline features that gave him an exotic look that was unique even in the Seam, due to his descendance from a particular group of people who once occupied those mountains long before the Dark Days.

As he approached, Gale also noticed that Thom was not alone. Smiling her bright, happy smile was Delly Cartwright, waving at him as if they'd been the best of friends since forever.

"Heading up to the Hob?" Thom asked as he shook Gale's hand.

"Yeah, just going to pick up a few things. Delly," he nodded, acknowledging the cheerful girl who held onto Thom's arm with a sweet sense of propriety.

Thom beamed and Gale noted that he'd never seen his friend look so goofy before. It brought a smile to Gale's face despite himself. "What are you so happy about?" he chuckled.

"No...nothing…" he glanced at Delly, who smiled encouragingly at him. "Well, you know, Delly and I, we've been dating a long time..."

Gale nodded. Their relationship had brought down a firestorm of scandal when Delly's father discovered that the two were together. For at least a month, no one spoke of anything else except for Mr. Cartwright's rants against Seam scum to anyone who came by his shoe shop. He was livid that his daughter would take up with someone from that part of town. However, Delly, as sweet as she appeared to the world, showed herself to also be one of the most obstinate individuals that anyone had ever met. She continued to date Thom despite her father's threats and her mother's histrionics until she'd simply worn them down with her persistence.

"Yeah. Epic stuff," Gale joked, making them both laugh.

"Don't I know it," Delly responded, her cheeks round and pink with mirth.

"Delly's agreed to be my wife. We're getting married," Thom said.

Gale was seized with an irrational joy. "Married? Whoa, congratulations!" he said, giving his friend a rare hug in congratulations. He turned to Delly and hugged her also, feeling her quiver with excitement. "When's the date?"

Thom shrugged good-naturedly. "We haven't settled all the details but soon - and you and Katniss are definitely invited." He paused to give Gale a conspiratorial look. "Who knows, you might be inspired to take the next step also…"

Gale's eyes widened, momentarily confused but then remembered he was considered Katniss's romantic partner. "Uh...yeah...well…"

Delly tugged on Thom's arm. "See, now you've made him all nervous," she said, "You make that decision when you are absolutely ready, Gale. Make sure it is the right person and don't let anyone pressure you otherwise."

Gale nodded in a daze. He realized that people would be expecting him and Katniss to make some sign of commitment, given their long friendship. Little did they know that it would be Katniss and Peeta who would be the ones to deliver news of their wedding someday, taking the entire district by surprise. If the citizens of thought Thom and Delly gossip-worthy, wait till that little surprise was dropped on everyone.

The thought of Katniss marrying anyone else would have normally filled him with a sickening jealousy that would have soured his mood instantaneously. Yet as he turned and walked towards the Hob, he was again surprised to find the idea of it didn't pain him the way it used to and he was even humored by what he expected would be the scandalized reactions when the truth finally came out.

 **XXXXX**

"I don't know why you have to be such a hard-head about taking my herbs!" Madge said heatedly when Gale stopped by on one of his trading rounds. Trading with the Undersee family had become complicated by the fact that Madge, after only four months, had gotten almost as good as Katniss at foraging.

"Because you got them, not me. That's your haul," Gale groused. "You keep trying to give them to me and it's annoying."

Madge's shoulders slumped in defeat, sitting at the table before him, pushing the bag of aromatic green leaves aside and wrapping her long, delicate fingers around the porcelain cup, warmed by tea. "Gale, I don't know when we'll be able to go out again. Mrs. Mellark is always dragging me with her somewhere - to the seamstress, the cobbler, the restaurant where we'll hold the reception. Mom is faking headaches to avoid her and dad pretends to bring work home so he has an excuse to stay in his study when she comes around…"

"That must be tough - lying to your family and all," Gale said, filled with real admiration for Madge.

"It is. But I know when I tell my father, he'll understand. My father is really a very wise man. He won't approve the lying, but I know he'll understand." Madge smiled at the thought of her father.

"He's a good man," Gale said, captivated by the look of tenderness in her eyes, feeling a encroaching possessiveness about her gentlest feelings. He had a brief, traitorous thought that perhaps she might think fondly of him also but pushed it aside. It was wrong to want such a thing and nearly horrified him to think that way.

"My parents are very tolerant…" she said haltingly. "They...taught me that the idea of Seam and Merchant...those aren't real concepts. People are people." She colored slightly as she sipped her tea. "And you should always treat people with respect. That's why he never gave me a hard time about Katniss or...or you."

"Me?" he said, setting his cup down.

"Well, yes, you. You're my friend and he accepts that. I mean, we _are_ friends, aren't we?"

Gale felt an unexpected rush of warmth flood his body when he thought of the two of them being friends and realized they actually had become friends, quite without realizing it. They were both quiet by nature but even so, she knew so much about him and his family - his siblings, his mother. He remembered her conversations about her mother's headaches, her piano playing, her favorite books and her confusion over what she wanted to do with the rest of her life.

He looked forward to those excursions for a chance to talk to her and enjoyed how she managed to turn every trade event into an opportunity to make tea and chat with him. His mind wandered over their shared experiences, their walks in the meadow, the woods, along the lake…

"Or maybe not," Madge said, standing suddenly and, with trembling hands, collected the empty cups. Gale realized he'd let the moment linger as he thought of her words and now, she was upset. She turned abruptly to make her way to the kitchen sink, nervously setting cups down inside the metal basin and in no particular order that made sense, fidgeting with the soap, the dish towel and the dirty cups. He couldn't help but follow her, searching for a way to make amends.

"Hey.." he said but she didn't look at him, turning the water on instead. Gale reached over and switched the faucet off before taking her gently by the arms and easing her around to face him. She tried to turn her face away but he sought her gaze. When she finally relented and looked into his face, he saw hurt in her eyes, a frown of unhappiness that made him profoundly miserable. He suddenly found it to be the most unbearable thing in the world for her to be so sad.

Without conscious thought, he found himself one moment drowning in her unhappiness, another found his lips pressed against her impossibly soft ones. He was kissing her and when it dawned on him that he was actually kissing her, it was too late to take it back. He reveled for one selfish moment in the feeling of her lips receiving his, cradling them, bearing up under his gentle pressure before he pulled back, unable to form another coherent thought.

Madge appeared disoriented, her eyes now unfocused, which brought him back to himself. He constructed a quick apology in his mind and opened his lips to deliver it when he felt her hand slid up the back of his neck and, with strength that was belied by her appearance, pulled him back down to her again. Now she was kissing him, swallowing in one sweep of the tip of her dainty tongue his apology.

Soon, they were pressed against each other, the small of her back leaning against the counter, his large hands pressing her to him. They'd have to talk. They'd have to reason things out, because everything would be different, more complicated now. But Gale could not bring himself to stop kissing her. He was holding a flame that soothed and burn him at once and he could not let her go. He was lost - to her, to himself, to the entire world, so neither of them heard the creaking of the kitchen door, or the sharp intake of breath. They were flying and forced to crash back down to earth like meteors hitting the ground when a voice penetrated their fog of joy.

"Ahem," Mayor Undersee said, discreetly clearing his throat. Gale and Madge leapt apart, the shock of discovery making it momentarily impossible to devise a better reaction.

Madge's father took a deep breath before pulling out a stool from the breakfast counter and settling onto it, folding one hand over the other. He peered, first at Madge, then, at Gale before speaking again.

"Alright, I'm all ears. Somebody's got some explaining to do."

 **XXXXX**

 **Part 6 - The Wedding coming soon!**


	6. The Wedding

**Part 5 - The Wedding**

Prim raced up the small front steps of her tiny Seam home, carrying a covered basket that swung dangerously from her arm. Her step was light and dainty but she strode with purpose to the door, rapping loudly until it swung open, a breathless Katniss appearing at the doorway.

"Aren't you dressed yet?" she exclaimed, glancing at Madge and Mrs. Everdeen seated at the kitchen table, the contents of a makeup bag spread before them.

"I wanted your help, little duck," Katniss said with a shaky voice. She didn't want the braid her mother had labored over to come undone, but she also couldn't imagine dressing for a day like this without her sister at her side. "Madge just finished my makeup."

"It's simple but it makes you look - different, even a little more sophisticated," Prim said approvingly, studying the details of Madge's work.

"I didn't want to go overboard on the shimmering powder but she looks like a fairy, doesn't she?" Madge said with pride. The compliment made Katniss more fidgety, for she wasn't used to all of this attention and she'd just as soon have it all over.

"No one could ever mistaken Katniss for a fairy - she's too grouchy!" Prim chortled, her laugh falling from her lips like hiccups, causing Madge to join her and Katniss to scowl at them both.

"Well, are you going to help me dress or not?" she said impatiently, though her irritation was only a cover for her nervousness. How could anyone get angry, especially with their sister, on their wedding day?

 **XXXXX**

 **One Week Earlier**

"I can't believe we just did that," Katniss said, coming up for air from under the covers. "I wonder if this is illegal? It feels like it should be illegal."

"And who's going to file the complaint?" Peeta asked, uncovering himself also, cooling his overheated body. "You'd have to confess first, and give all the details…"

"No," Katniss purred. "I think I prefer to be an outlaw." She stretched her limbs languidly, arching to get a small crick out of her back. She found it hard to concentrate on anything except for the languid feeling of satisfaction that permeated every pore of her body. "Brain's not working right…"

"Good," Peeta kissed her again. "You don't need it for what I want to do to you." He hadn't stopped since they'd snuck away that morning. Katniss found it difficult to protest. She was full of anxiety but he was happier than she'd ever seen him. "How can you be so giddy?" Katniss exclaimed, caught between an urge to shout with joy or wail in fright.

"Because," he hovered over her and kissed her again, his lips trailing down her neck, across her collarbone, resting in the valley between her breasts. "Soon, I'm going to be legally married to you."

"Not if your mother flips out and sets us both on fire, after she tosses us out onto the street and tramples on us! Have you told her yet?"

Peeta's face became serious as he sat up. "No...I haven't found the right time…"

Katniss scowled at him. "You have to tell her! I don't think Madge can take it anymore. She said yesterday she had to hide in her closet to avoid your mother. That's no life."

"I'll tell her today, I promise," he said, nipping at her breasts, sucking on them until her belly was as warm as melted chocolate.

"Well, you get no more of _this_..." she said, pushing his mouth away from her, "unless you take care of _that_."

Peeta's eyes became wide with shock before his face relaxed into a smug smile. "You're seriously giving me an ultimatum?" he crawled over her, making it impossible for her to budge him. "I told you. I'll take care of it," he said, continuing his travels over her belly, nipping at her hip bones. "You have beautiful hips," he said reverently. Katniss knew he was doing that to distract her, to keep her from asking any more questions, and predictably, it was working.

"I'm...I'm serious, Peeta!" Katniss gasped, trying to wriggle out from under him without success, and losing her conviction with each moment until his mouth found it's place and latched onto her.

"So...so... many things...can...go wrong," Katniss said, finding speech more difficult with each pass of his lips and tongue. "I...I'll go with you. You don't have...to do it...alone…"

He looked up from his magic and said her name like a prayer. "Katniss…"

"What…?"

"Shhhhh…"

 **XXXXX**

Near late afternoon, Katniss and Peeta stumbled from the forest, giving each other one last kiss before parting ways, he to the center of District 12 and she to her small home in the Seam. Crossing the fence that separated the town from the forest was, to her, like emerging from a bubble where everything was soft and warm into a world that was covered in hard edges and fraught with danger. This farce that all four of them had been living would come to an end, one way or another. The idea of it brought only relief to Katniss. But if Mrs. Mellark's character was any indication, the resolution they all so desperately sought would not come peacefully.

Entering her house, Katniss expected to find her sister and mother in their respective rooms, or out, tending to the sick or wounded. She did not expect to find Gale in her kitchen, fingers drumming the table with impatience.

"Hey!" she said, hanging her jacket up on a hook behind the door.

"Hey, Catnip," he said, rubbing his face with his hands. He drummed his fingers against the table again as she took a seat next to him. She'd known him a long time - his silences were no longer odd or exclusionary to her - they were a part of who he was. However, she couldn't help but feel that there was something behind his facade of calm, something that made her suddenly very uneasy.

"You...you want some tea?" she asked.

"No," he answered. "I had some tea over at Madge's."

"Oh," she said, eyeing him carefully. When he still did not speak, Katniss lost her famously limited patience. "Okay, so what gives?"

"Let's take a walk," Gale said, standing abruptly. "We have to have a little talk."

Katniss rose from her seat in response to him. "Okay," she said, taking the coat off of the peg and putting it back on. She followed him out of her house and fell to walking next to him down the dusty road of the Seam.

"You've got me worried. What gives?" she asked, praying he would just tell her what was going on.

"Look before I say anything, I just want to apologize, okay? I didn't expect any of this to happen."

"Any of what to happen?" Katniss asked, a rising panic gripping her by the throat, threatening to suffocate her.

"I...dammit, how do people talk about stuff like this?" Gale spat almost angrily. "I have this thing...for Madge…"

Katniss felt her face brighten in surprise. It was clear that there was an affinity between the two of them. "She's not like your other suck-face buddies, is she?"

Gale chuckled. "Not at all. So you can see why we can't go on with his whole charade. Especially now that you and Peeta had a toasting."

Katniss nodded, a feeling as if she'd lost a great weight overtaking her, filling her with peace. "No, you're right. Peeta and I were discussing it just today. We've decided to tell his mother and let the chips fall where they may."

Gale released a breath and Katniss realized he'd been holding himself in tension during their entire conversation. "That's good. Because, see...Mayor Undersee, Madge's dad, he knows."

"What?!" Katniss froze on the road and it was only then that she realized he was leading her to the center. "How the hell does he know about...all this?"

"Well, Madge and I, we might have been...ahem...kissing...in her kitchen…"

For the second time in one night, Katniss felt her eyes go wide as saucers. "You were making out with Madge? In her house?" Without warning, she burst into peals of laughter. "I mean I knew you liked her but her dad walked in on you both…? That had to be the most...how did you survive it?" she gasped before her face became suddenly serious. "Poor Madge! She must have been completely mortified."

"You're not hearing me, Katniss. He walked in on Madge and me. We had to fess up."

"I...oh…" Katniss's face fell as understanding dawned on her. "Oh…" That was it. She'd been fussing at Peeta about revealing the truth but the truth had find its way to the surface without them.

The image of her father came unbidden to mind and all Katniss could think about was what it would feel like if her father had walked in on her and caught her kissing a boy who was not her fiance. It was as if her brain, by focusing on this detail, insulated her from that other, more serious fact, the one that would impact the rest of her life.

"What did he say? How is Madge? Are you okay?" The questions fell out of her before she could catch them and make sense of them all. "Is he going to go tell the witch about all this?"

Gale shook his head. "That's where we're going now. He wants all of us together to figure out how YOU and PEETA are going to tell his mother. He won't marry anyone until that happens."

Katniss chewed the side of her cheek thoughtfully. "I don't know if I can handle Mrs. Mellark right now."

"Well, I don't think we have a choice. And he's not the kind to go along with our little scheme," he answered.

She swallowed a sudden wave of nausea at the thought that she'd have to confront Peeta's mother at that very moment. "So Peeta's been summoned,too?"

"Yep," Gale answered, lapsing into silence finally as their feet hit the cobblestone of the square, the Merchant quarter still filled with people milling about, completing last minute errands before everything shut down for the night. Katniss was both terrified and strangely elated, as if the chains that had held her down were being unlocked. Gale, meanwhile, swung his arm around Katniss's shoulders and let it hang there. Katniss looked up at him with a quizzical expression.

"Oh, come on, Catnip. One more time, with feeling. For old time's sake."

Katniss scowled but leaned into him, a gentle squeeze of her shoulder his brief response. They walked companionably across the square to the corner, the sight of them together no longer a novelty and of little interest to the people rushing about their business. They continued until they reached the last block where Madge Undersee's house stood in wait all it's simple and elegant glory.

 **XXXXX**

Katniss had managed to gather a bit of courage on her walk through the square but that little bit of bravado quickly fell away when she found herself before the large, wooden door of Mayor Undersee's home. Everything was fine in principal but when things came down to it, she could feel her nerves quickly bunch up on in her stomach. They'd lived so long in this state of affairs that the imminent change in situation, regardless of the outcome, made her feel weak with outright dread. Katniss grasped the edge of her father's jacket and rubbed the soft, dark spot between her thumb and forefinger, channeling all of her senses there as they waited to be allowed to enter the home.

Not surprisingly, it was Madge who answered the door. "Katniss…"

"It's okay. Gale told me everything. Don't worry," Katniss said with as much kindness as she could to her friend. "I'm so sorry! Is he upset?"

"I think he was so relieved, he forgot to actually be angry," Madge said, catching Gale's eye and blushing wildly. "It's not like he wanted to be related to Mrs. Mellark."

"Well, let's go inside before he remembers that he should be angry with us," Gale said.

Katniss scowled but said nothing more, following Madge towards the main sitting room where Madge's piano sat proudly in the corner. Peeta turned towards them from where he stood at the window, a cup of steaming tea in hand. Madge offered a cup each to Katniss and Gale but both declined, Katniss' stomach in particular unable to accept any food or drink. They crowded around where Peeta stood, sipping his tea.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

Peeta gave her his sweet smile, the one that always seemed to make everything better. "I'm not sure. He wasn't here when I arrived. I came over as soon as Madge called," he set his tea down on the nearest surface.

"Where is he?" Gale asked, and Katniss did not miss the note of anxiety in his voice. Before she could think of what to do to help calm him, Madge had already linked her arm through his. The way she looked up at him, the air heavy with unspoken feeling between them, provoked a warm happiness that made Katniss feel like a proud mother hen and would have lifted her spirits if her insides weren't slowly melting away.

"Father said he had to check on something in the Records Room and would be right back," Madge answered.

The sound of the front door opening and closing, followed by the chatter of voices, set everyone in the room on alert. The group turned as Mayor Undersee came through the door, followed by a very excited Mrs. Mellark. Katniss went rigid next to Peeta, feeling the blood in her veins suddenly turn to ice. Meanwhile, Madge's arm was still entwined in Gale's. Mrs. Mellark's eyes flickered towards them as she let Gale's arm go but she did not move away from him.

"What's going on?" she said, taking in the four young people, scowling markedly at Katniss.

"Everyone, please, have a seat," Mayor Undersee said in a voice that no one defied. "Sybil, do you take whiskey?"

"I'm fine with tea, if it's already been made," Mrs. Mellark said.

Mayor Undersee turned with two glasses half-filled with a dark, amber-colored liquid. "Trust me when I say, the whiskey would be more appropriate on this occasion." Mrs. Mellark carefully took the proffered glass, clearly on alert as he lifted his in a brief toast before downing the contents in one gulp. When he poured a second one and downed it in the same manner, Katniss exchanged a look with Madge that screamed in panic.

"Well, let's get this over with. Who's going to volunteer to tell Mrs. Mellark the details of your adventures over the course of the last several months?"

This was it. All of their contrivances had been designed to put off this very moment. Katniss rubbed her sweaty palms on her hiking pants and stood, stepping toward the middle of the space in the room but she felt Peeta's hand on her arm, stopping her progress.

"Peeta, it's okay," she whispered. "It was my idea."

"But you did it for me," he stood also.

"For us," she countered.

"Okay. Then we'll tell her. Together."

Katniss nodded. "Together."

She led Peeta near the piano, the giant, wooden instrument giving her courage from its familiarity and size. She was sure she'd have no bones, no organs left after all of this but she counted on the large piano, and Peeta's steadiness, to get her through her confession.

"Well, might as well get this over with. Mrs. Mellark. Peeta isn't really engaged with Madge. It was all a...trick...to make you think we were engaged to other people."

Mrs. Mellark, who still held the whiskey awkwardly in her hand, stared at Katniss in disbelief. "Why on earth would you do such a thing?"

"Mom," Peeta interjected. "We pretended to be engaged to other people so we could keep seeing each other."

Mrs. Mellark looked down at the whiskey, no longer disgusted with it. She took a sip, her face wrinkling in response. "So you mean to tell me that all this time I thought you were engaged to Madge, you were still going around with this...this…"

"Sybil, I'll thank you not to insult anyone," Mr. Undersee said firmly.

"Well, how else should I react, Dale? My son, my decent, hardworking son, who could have any girl in the entire District, ends up being...seduced...by a layabout girl of no means who is capable of such deceit. How would you react?"

"Who is this 'layabout girl of no means' to whom you refer, Sybil? Katniss? I happen to agree that this deception is not worthy of any of these four young people but there is nothing in my experience with Katniss to indicate she is any less hard-working than any of us in this room, perhaps more so than most of the shopkeepers in the District," the Mayor said with something akin to anger. He turned towards Katniss and Peeta and asked "And you? What possessed you to devise a scenario that required you to fool every single person who knows you to believe that you were in love with people other than each other, one of whom happens to be my daughter, by the way?"

Peeta spoke up, stepping closer to Katniss, if that was at all possible. "My mother said that she wouldn't allow me to inherit the bakery if I married Katniss. She threatened to sell it off when she retired before she would allow Katniss to get anywhere near it," Peeta glanced at Madge, who twisted her hands together, and Gale, who sat as impassive as a stone in the mountains. "Gale and Madge agreed to be our "partners" so we could continue to be together, hoping that a fake engagement would be enough to satisfy her."

He took Katniss' hand and held it between his. "Gale and Madge have been good enough to keep up the pretense and would have continued to do so but…" he gave Katniss another one of those smiles that set the whole world to rights before turning back to speak to his mother, "Except, well, we just don't care about the bakery anymore. If we have to lose it to be together...then so be it." Peeta's voice shook but he spoke through his excessive emotions. "Katniss and I had a toasting. To me, we're more married than any piece of paper could ever make us."

Mrs. Mellark turned several shades of pink before downing, in one swoop, the alcohol in her glass. Her jaw moved, as if she were physically winding it up to speak. "I have no words for how...absolutely...disappointed and...disgusted I am with all of you," she stood up, approaching Katniss and Peeta. "Do you think I was joking when I said I would sell off the bakery? It'll be a cold day in hell before I let someone like her," she spat in Katniss's direction, "get her hands on my life's work. I know all about you Everdeen girls. You're all snakes, starting with your mother, all the way down to you and your sister."

"Don't you dare bring Prim or my mother into this!" Katniss snarled, taking a step towards her.

"Oh please! You thought you had it made, sneaking around, thinking you could fool me into signing over the shop to you?"

"The bakery was important to Peeta!" Katniss shouted. "It was his father's. That's the only reason I wanted to help him save it. Not for me! For your son! But you don't care about him, do you?"

"I care about him. That's why I never wanted him mixed up with the likes of you!" Gale was on his feet before anyone else, sensing Mrs. Mellark's next move. As she lunged towards Katniss, his hands were already on her arms, pulling her away.

"Get your hands off of me you brute!" she screamed, pushing Gale away, lurching towards Madge and her father. "And you! Why would you even...invite these...filthy Seam people into your house? I never thought the Undersee family would be the type of people to have traffic with people like them!"

"My daughter and her affairs are none of your concern," Mayor Undersee interjected but paused, clearly making an effort to calm himself and the situation. "It seems to me that no one here is truly innocent and everyone owes each other an apology - Katniss and Peeta should apologize to Gale and Madge for taxing their friendship and asking so much of them," Katniss and Peeta lowered their heads in shame at the Mayor's words.

"Gale and Madge should apologize for allowing themselves to be used in this manner, risking their reputations by having it known that they are inconstant and false in their dealings with others."

Madge nodded. "You're right, daddy. We're sorry."

"Yes sir," Gale answered, resuming his seat next to Madge.

"And as for you, Mrs. Mellark, you should apologize for being intolerant of your grown child's decisions and, forgive me for saying this, but for being dishonest also."

"Dishonest!" Mrs. Mellark gasped, her face paling in response.

"Mom, what is he talking about?" Peeta asked.

His mother sputtered, looking from Peeta to Mayor Undersee. "I have no idea but I've been insulted enough!" she turned to pick up her bag and walk to the front door. "I have never been so ill-treated in my life!"

"Sybil!" Mayor Undersee said in a firm, authoritative voice. "I had the opportunity to review the will registered in the Justice Building, a testament filed by Mr. Mellark two years before his death. Do you know what I am referring to?"

She stopped her progress out of the room, turning her head slightly to look at the Mayor. "I am well aware of the contents of my late husband's will and testament," she said, her face hardening into a mask of insouciance.

"Then you are also aware of who the current owner of Mellark's Family Bakery is, are you not?"

In all of this, Katniss had been too horrified by the events taking place to actually compute the content of the conversation beyond the insult to herself and her family. However, these last words piqued her attention, in particular because of the effect they were having on Peeta, who had turned to stone before her eyes.

"Mom, who is the current owner of the Mellark's Family Bakery?" he asked slowly.

Mrs. Mellark didn't answer, chuckling dryly to herself instead with a combination of disbelief and derision. "I am, until the day I decide to hand it over to you, and not a day sooner."

"Actually," Mr. Undersee removed the documents from a slim folder on the credenza near where he stood. "This document indicates that the owner of the bakery, as of Mr. Mellark's death, is one Peeta Mellark. Sybil, you are neither a beneficiary nor a trustee. It is in fact Peeta who is the legal owner of the business and has been since his father's passing." The Mayor handed the documents to Peeta. "I am a bit long in the tooth and perhaps my reading comprehension isn't what it once was. Would you confirm this for me?"

Peeta took the documents with shaky hands. After scanning the pages, he looked up, an expression unlike any Katniss had ever seen before settling over him. It was a combination of shock, horror and rage that made her suddenly afraid. She glanced at where Gale and Madge were seated but wisely, they'd left and stepped back, sensing that there was no place for her in this particular confrontation. Events had now gone to a place where everything felt too personal, too uncomfortable to watch.

"You lied to me," he said in a voice so small, it drew her attention back to him and nearly broke her heart. He was no longer her Peeta, who loved her insanely and had been willing to give up so much to be with her. She glimpsed in that instant a small boy wearing an apron that was too large for him, wrestling with his mother's deception, which had also become too much for him. Katniss had been through everything, had endured more than most but one thing she knew was that her parents had never, ever deceived or manipulated her. She resisted the urge to go to him and comfort him. This was between him and his mother.

Mrs. Mellark turned completely towards her son now, looking him squarely in the face. "I did it for your own good, or you would have tossed your life away on someone who is not worthy of you."

"That's no excuse," Peeta said, the little boy gone, replaced by an angry young man. "There will never be a good enough reason for what you did."

"Your life is reason enough!" she spat. "Your father was in love with one of them too - the mother." She smiled when Peeta's face registered shock at her words. She turned to Katniss. "Did your mother ever tell you that? Did she tell you that she was engaged to Peeta's father when they were younger? That at the last minute, she ran off with your father and left Eian with a broken heart? Did she ever tell you about that?"

"Why should I believe a word you say?" Katniss hissed.

"Ask, your mother! She'll confirm all of it," she said before returning her attention to Peeta. "He came wooing me afterwards and I didn't know. I didn't know until after I was pregnant with my first son that he never actually got over Elise's betrayal. I would have never married a man who was still pining after another woman. That Seam-loving slut ruined both our lives and now you want to take up with her no-good daughter?" She stepped towards Peeta, her voice dripping with venom. "Well, you go right on ahead and destroy your life. I did my best to stop you!"

As Peeta stood, reeling from her words, Mayor Undersee walked carefully towards Mrs. Mellark, keeping his distance in the same way Katniss would approach Buttercup when she didn't want to get scratched. "You can't allow the past to control your life. What happened between you, Eian and Elise should have no bearing on the events of today."

"It's the same blood! The same treacherous, hateful blood. Do you know what it means to live with a man who spent his entire life wishing he was with another woman? And then to have to call that woman's child a daughter-in-law? Pretend she is respectable, watch her become the co-owner of your business?" Mrs. Mellark choked on her rage, making her stumble over her words. "I'd rather die alone then utter the words. You're nothing to me, Katniss Everdeen. I don't care if my son marries you tomorrow, you are nothing to me!"

"Then you're nothing to me either," came Peeta's voice from where he'd awoken from a deep sleep. Everyone turned to look at him, the silence in the room deafening until his words broke through again. "I'm going to marry Katniss and she is going to take her place by my side, in _my_ bakery. I would be grateful if you were a part of that but if you can't accept her, then you'll have to find your own way."

Mrs. Mellark pushed her chin out, the defiance oozing out of every pore of her body. Katniss always had a sense about when things were going to come to an end. She saw the ending of something loom up before Peeta and his mother, hovering over the room. Despite everything, Katniss was unbearably sad and felt powerless to stop it from crashing down on them.

"I'll take my things and go to Bannock's. He will have a place for me." At that, she turned around and left the room. After several moments, the sound of the front door slamming shut reverberated through the house. No one made a move to stop her.

Katniss came to where Peeta stood, still holding the papers, his eyes on his now vanished mother. She wrapped her arms around his waist and held him, willing her comfort to flow directly into him. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

His arms slowly came up and tightened almost painfully around her. Nothing more was said as he held her for what seemed like an eternity.

 **XXXXX**

 **Present**

True to her word, Mrs. Mellark moved into her eldest son's home the very next day, much to the chagrin of her son's wife, who made no effort to hide her displeasure and shared it with everyone who passed through the shop. She was eager to explain that her mother-in-law would be renovating a small loft above her Mrs. Mellark's late father's metal shop, a business he'd left to Mrs. Mellark's eldest brother - who eventually never married. It was expected that one of the Mellark boys would inherit the shop after the uncle passed, possibly the middle one, who was still in District 4. In the meantime, Mrs. Mellark and her brother would keep each other company well into their old age.

On the day of Katniss and Peeta's wedding, Gale found himself in the predicament of having to endure his formalwear from his home all the way to the Justice Building and for the reception afterwards. This state of affairs made him moodier than usual, which was already significant, given his taciturn nature. However, Madge surreptitiously snuck up the courthouse stairs while they waited for Katniss and Peeta to arrive and tugged his crooked tie, catching him by surprise.

"Did your little sister dress you this morning?" she teased, undoing and redoing the knot.

Gale's face changed, the grim set of his mouth softening into a smile that was gentle on his lips but bright in his grey eyes. "I probably should have. She would have done a better job of it than me."

"I can't help but agree," she said as she tugged the end of the tie with a certain flare, before resting her dainty hand against the lapel of his suit, the hard muscle beneath leaping to attention. "There, all better now," she said. "That knot wasn't worthy of you."

Gale would have had an easier time responding to her if the pressure of her palm against his chest didn't feel like she was pouring hot water slowly over his skin. "So, you got a date for this thing?"

Madge's smiled widened as she chuckled. "I don't know. All depends about this one guy I've been talking to. So you tell me, do I have a date for this thing or not?"

"I'd take you all the way to the moon if that's where you wanted to go," Gale said with so much feeling, he felt undone inside. He hoped she knew he meant it. He'd never been good with words and was a lump when it came to showing his feelings.

"My, my, Gale Hawthorne," she said, a small shiver moving through her. "I never took you for a romantic," she whispered, her nervousness betrayed by the deep blush of her skin.

"There's a lot you don't know about me, yet," he said, indicating toward the road where Katniss and Peeta walked, arm and arm toward the steps of the Justice Building. It was tradition in District 12 for the groom collect the bride at her home and escort her to the Justice Building to be married before friends and family. They would then return home for the toasting and perhaps have a small reception the next day. However, in the case of Katniss and Peeta, they would have their reception on the same day, since they'd already had their toasting.

As Gale watched the couple make their way up the stairs, his heart gave a leap in his chest, responding as if out of habit to those moments when his hunting partner became more than just a girl in the woods. Her hair was coiled in intricate braids, her skin glowing as if stardust had been sprinkled on her cheeks, complementing the silver flecks in her grey eyes. She wore a lovely, simple white dress and, judging from the classic style, Gale guessed that it was her mother's wedding dress. Behind her trailed her mother and Prim as well as Hazelle and Gale's younger siblings.

He heard the echo of love that he'd always felt for her for all those years they'd spent in the woods, sprinting on silent feet together, taking down game, struggling together to stave off the hunger that could spell death for their respective families. But it was only an echo, a memory from their shared past. She clung to Peeta now and he realized yet again that he didn't resent him or secretly ache for what he couldn't have. In his heart, he wished them well, because he thought he might have finally found whatever it was that made those two kids crazy enough to lie and deceive just to have a chance to be together.

He let go, in that moment, all the anguish and fury of not having what he'd always wanted because, as fate would have it, he realized his infatuation with Katniss was only a blush of what real love should be. He glanced at the blond curls that swept against the sleeve of his suit coat next to him, her face hidden from his glance and he knew that his heart had only been in training, waiting for the real thing to come along. As he hugged Katniss, he silently let her go forth with all his love and best wishes for her.

"Catnip," he said as she pulled back, her face a combination of elation and terror. "Why are you scared? You had your toasting. You're already married!"

"Yes, but that was private. There are too many people! You know how much I hate being the center of attention!" she said, her voice shaking.

"It's everybody you know. There isn't a person in this crowd who hasn't seen you in your pajamas at least once. Remember that when you get nervous."

Katniss gave him a small smile and some of her terror drained from her face. "You don't know how much I appreciate you and Madge," she said, tugging Madge's attention to her. "I don't know where we'd be without you two."

"Just be happy," Madge said, hugging her friend warmly. "You know we'll always be here for you."

Katniss hugged both of them again before she pulled back, dabbing at the corners of her eyes. "Prim and mom brought my things to the bakery yesterday. It was so…"

"Surreal?" answered Madge as she took her friend in her arms and held her tightly. "This is a huge life change. Of course it's going to feel strange!"

Gale turned his attention to Peeta, who was very put together in a dark grey suit with a skyblue shirt that accentuated the color of his eyes. His tie complimented his suit but the handkerchief in his breast pocket was made of the exact color and material of Katniss's dress. Gale wasn't much for fashion but he had to admit, the look suited him. He stretched his hand out to Peeta, who returned his handshake warmly.

"Congratulations." Gale said as Katniss turned to speak to her mother, who hovered quietly in the background.

"Thank you...for everything," Peeta said, his eyes bright with feeling. "If it wasn't for you and Madge…"

"Just take care of her. Treat her well because she's earned it," Gale said, glancing again at Katniss and Madge, who were chatting with Hazelle now.

"I know," Peeta answered, following his gaze, expelling a shaky breath. "She's everything to me."

Gale nodded approvingly. "That's how you won her over. You were willing to give up everything for her." He cuffed Peeta on the shoulder. "That's the only reason you're still alive,"

"What…?" Peeta said before Gale's smile revealed that he was only joking and he followed with a laugh of his own. By that time, Peeta's middle brother, Rye, the one who had gone to District 4, tapped Peeta on the shoulder, surprising him.

"What are you doing here!" Peeta exclaimed, giving his brother a bear hug, oblivious to the effect on his suit.

"I took an all-night train so that I could watch you get married. Finally got up the nerve to ask Katniss Everdeen out, eh, buddy? Welcome to the family!" He scooped a shocked Katniss up in his arms, drowning her squeals of terror with his own laughter.

"It's a long story," Peeta answered when Rye set a wobbly Katniss down, leading both to meet Bannock and his family, leaving Gale to his own devices again.

Gale scanned the plaza before the building and thought he saw, under one of the large trees that lined the main thoroughfare through District 12, a glimpse of Mrs. Mellark. She watched the proceedings with an unreadable expression. He couldn't help to hope, for her sake, that she would find it in herself to forget her stupid ideas and let go of her old hatred. Otherwise, she was going to miss out on a beautiful thing. Of this, Gale was convinced.

Suddenly at his side, Madge appeared, disrupting his ruminations when she linked her arms through his. "I think it's time to go inside."

With her gentle weight on his arm, Gale turned and took his place behind Katniss and Peeta as they walked inside the building. The day was unforgettable. Ahead of him was his best friend, staring at her future husband with an expression of bliss so unfiltered, he felt a wave of tenderness come over him and the hope that life would be good to them. By his side was Madge who, in her sweet, bumbling way had made him feel something like the reverence he saw in Peeta's face when he watched every move his bride made. And behind him was the small group of people who he considered his friends and family. On that late summer day, Gale felt profoundly the joy that radiated from the couple before him and had a sudden premonition that one day soon, his turn would come.

He gave Madge a gentle squeeze, which she returned with a smile and he couldn't help thinking that both he and Peeta were the luckiest men in the world.

 **XXXXX**

 **I want to thank first and foremost, mylionskitten, for the wonderful prompt. I thought it would end with more hilarity but I hope you will like this ending all the same. I must thank javistg for hosting the challenge that gave birth to this fic, the everlarkficexchange. I have to give a super shout-out to the girls who kept me going, who encouraged me to keep writing this fic even when I was a bit blocked : the brilliant, talented and wonderful akai-echo (who also made the banner!) and thegirlfromoverthepond, who is the best cheerleader a girl can have. And a big thank you to mega-aulover who is such a great person and support, for prereading and generally being awesome. Gracias, mi amiguita!**


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